Boston: Police limit searches for guns

Boston.com ^ | 3/25/08 | Maria Cramer

[Charles Martel]

See, *you* know about the Plain Sight doctrine... and that once you consent, the cops can search anyplace in your house where a gun might be hidden.

These programs typically offer assurances that the consenter won't face criminal charges if illegal firearms are found during the search of their residence. Stuff like bound coeds, closets full of marijuana or baggies stuffed with crack cocaine typicaly fall outside the parameters of the "Get Out of Jail Free" card.

[ctdonath2]

The core word is “PERMISSION”.

"Sorry to bother you at 2:30AM sir, but we'd like your permission to check your house for contraband. No charges will be filed if you say 'yes'."

[Ken H]

Maybe some don't want the police to see their inhome stash of porn and drugs.

Would you give consent to such a search - yes or no?

[Ken H]

Same question to you. Would you consent to let the police search your home if you lived in that neighborhood?

[bobby.223]

exactly, and I’ll bet if a no answer is given to the “permission” question your name will be placed on a list that no legal gun owner wants to be on.

[ctdonath2]

how many young minority children have been the victims

How about you dig up the actual factual answer to that question before waving around the emotional rhetoric?

[wastedyears]

I’d rewrite the first line, but it would probably get me banned.

[wastedyears]

Should it stay in Boston? I don’t think the time is right yet for the Big Bang.

[William Tell]

CaptainAmiigaf said: The core word is “PERMISSION”.

If a parent has a right to give permission for the police to search, then the parent has a right to search. Why would any sensible person involve the police? Would you?

If there aren't going to be any charges filed, then what is the function of the police in these searches? Are you of the opinion that this program is valuable? I think it undermines respect for individual rights.

We have already lost our privacy with respect to our banking. Cash transactions over some amount that the institution might believe is "suspicious" obligate the bank to reveal details to the police that might indicate that a crime has been committed. If you have nothing to hide, why not allow the authorities free access to all your financial records?

[Beowulf9]

Yes. As for a ‘secret list’ of people who say no, I think that you’re being paranoid.

[Beowulf9]

Oops, sorry Ken H it was Bobby .223 who thinks there is a secret list.

[Ken H]

Yes. [that you would consent to one of these searches]

Thanks for the straight, unhedged answer.

As for a "secret list" of people who say no, I think that you're being paranoid.

Would you cite where I said or implied anything about a "secret list"?

[Ken H]

I should have held my fire for a couple of more minutes!

Disregard my last post:)

[Beowulf9]

"exactly, and I’ll bet if a no answer is given to the “permission” question your name will be placed on a list that no legal gun owner wants to be on". post no 25 by bobby.223. The law gives permission to the police to search: "Police would ask parents or legal guardians to search homes where juveniles ages 17 and under are believed to be holding illegal guns. Police would only enter homes into which they have been invited and, once inside, would only search the rooms of the juveniles". Sometimes parents haven't a clue about their childs problem until the rest of the community learns of it the hard way. A knock on the door would clue them in, and as one of these cases I would say, 'yes go ahead and search'. My nephew recently lived with me and I thought he was just a great boy until the narcotics officer who lives next door to me came over one day and told me he had been allowing many of his friends over to smoke grass and drink. I was at work. It was the first I realized what was going on.

[2111USMC]

"the searches would be based on tips from the community, including neighbors, school officials,..."

Ah! The old "narc on your neighbor" program.

If I remember right, the Hitler Youth participated in a program like that.

(Of course nobody would abuse that if they were just pissed off at somebody.)

[2111USMC]

Good gravy Beowulf9, is your “Enter” key busted?

:)

[Beowulf9]

Heheh. No I stupidly left the ‘word wrap: ON’ on.

heheh, I would be surprised if anyone goes into that briar patch post of mine.

[Pontiac]

There are all too many “community leaders” in Boston and every other large city that leap at the chance to criticize the police, but have NOTHING to say about the daily and almost hourly slaughter of young people on our streets. From family and friends of the dead we hear wails of mourning, while from the “leaders” only the “sounds of silence”.

The root of the problem is right there in those few sentences.

No one says anything anymore. No one has the courage to say to these young thugs that what they are doing is wrong. No one seems to be able to summon the courage these days to teach their kids moral absolutes. They seem to have fallen out of fashion.

Parents today have lost the either the will or the know how of how to be parents. Today it appears to me that mothers and fathers prefer to be their children’s friend rather than their children’s parent. Consequently parents have lost all authority in their children’s minds because friends are equals and do not have authority over one another.

Too many children today grow up with out parents whether due to divorce, illegitimacy or abdication of responsibility. Unfortunately the program in question is not the answer. It could at best (if accepted by the populace) be a temporary fix. Unless we reestablish the family unit the problem this program seeks to fix will be with us until our entire society collapses.

Unless we teach our children to govern themselves only a despotic government will be able to govern our society. And only parents willing to be parents can teach children to govern themselves.

This program is another step down the road to the despotic government that the growing parentless society will force upon us.

[ctdonath2]

Being denied RKBA, we are obliged to defer to “the authorities” who do little but take notes.