Miller Rod and Gun bends over for Bloomberg
A Youngstown gun shop has chosen not to fight NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempt to drive gun retailers out of business. (Yes, I know, that's not what he says it is, that it's all about straw purchases, but even the members of his coalition of mayors are starting to realize that he's going too far.)
I understand that the guy doesn't have $50K to fight der Führer Brooklyns. Yet it's really not appealing to do business with somebody lacking the spine to resist. The ideal situation, one that fans the flames of resistance while funding the means to do so, is a program like that of Bob Moates Sport Shop: the Bloomberg Gun GiveAway.
Yes, straw purchases are illegal, and bad. But there is basically no way for retailers to stop them, unless they hear the prohibited buyer saying, "Honey, buy this gun for me." Even Sarah Brady has been accused of making a straw purchase.
Meanwhile, these are the Ohio members of Bloomberg's Conpiracy Against the Constitution. You might want to drop them a line:
Thomas O'Grady, North Olmsted
Frank Jackson, Cleveland
Lydia Reid, Mansfield
Donald Plusquellic, Akron
Jay Williams, Youngstown
Michael Coleman, Columbus
Rhine McLin, Dayton
Comments
Posted by: jeffrey smith
Posted on: March 22, 2007 12:12 AM
This is a total piece of bovine excrement.
No, sorry. I would insult the bulls if I left them in.
This is a total piece of governmental excrement.
By Bloomberg's logic, these gun owners would be required to monitor the guns after purchase for the rest of the gun's life. However long a lifetime is for guns, and I imagine that can be a very long time.
Is anyone standing up to defend the suit?
Too much to expect the NRA to bother with this, but no one else?
If anyone sets up a legal defense fund, please post so I can contribute my mite.
(And you know that if I'm motivated to contribute on a 2ndAmendment issue, it's got to be really monstrous.)
Posted by: Dick Baker
Posted on: July 7, 2008 11:52 PM
Bloomberg has been put on notice about this, yet he continues even now.
I guess when you're the mayor of New York, you can hire guys to do straw purchases and get away with it.
Here in Milwaukee we had a guy do 26 straw purchases in one year. The gun store owner alerted the ATF after the 2nd purchase, and an ATF agent told the store owner to continue to sell to the straw purchaser.
After a year, the straw purchaser was arrested. But the federal attorney declined to press charges, saying that he couldn't establish intent.
Under Bloomberg's rules, the spineless prosecutor would be a hero, the straw purchaser a victim, and the cooperating gun store owner the criminal.
Posted by: Jeffrey Quick
Posted on: July 8, 2008 08:11 AM
No, you can't establish intent...which is why "straw purchase" is such a bullshit crime.