[M1GarandPa]

Since there seem to be quite a number of LEO’s on this site, I’m curious as to how you feel about convicted felons having their 2nd amendment rights legally restored.

I’m not talking about felons convicted of a violent crime or child abusers, but rather those convicted of DUI, check/tax fraud, drug offenses, receiving stolen property, etc.

 

[Kevin Gibson]

I've always thought that the jail/probation was paying their debt to society. I think once the sentence is completed, rights (all of them) should be restored. We really crap on felons and just push them back towards crime.

 

[CaptainGyro]

Agreed.

After three or four strikes, though, we’re looking at a pretty shallow learning curve.

 

[Charlie Petty]

As a general rule I am opposed. In my work I met lots of them most of whom probably shouldn't have been out of jail.

But... a process already exists to restore rights after legal review and I'm fine there.

There might also be a provision for nonviolent acts, but not general amnesty

One interesting observation through. I went to the NRA Police Nationals a couple of years ago in Jackson, MS and the crew working the range were all trustees from that state prison there. Guns all around and absolutely no trouble.

 

[bearcat6]

I'm not sure about this one. A tweaker might be in the slammer for a non violent offense but if he gets out chances are he will go back to the drugs and tweakers are paranoid and irrational.

 

[Snake45]

But... a process already exists to restore rights after legal review and I'm fine there.

As I understand it, there's a legal process, but Congress always refuses to allocate any money to cover it. :dunno:

 

[IrishCop]

As I understand it, there's a legal process, but Congress always refuses to allocate any money to cover it. :dunno:

Had a trustee not long ago who was close to his release on a misdemeanor sentence. He had a non violent felony conviction and wanted to know if he could get his rights restored because he was a hunter in his youth and wanted to get back in the woods. Alabama is strange in that it doesn't prevent felons from possessing long arms. I talked with the BATFE. They told me that they no longer take applications for restoration of rights.

I told the guy he could hunt with black powder firearms...BATFE said that was fine as long as the weapon couldn't be "easily converted to fire modern ammunition".

My personal feelings? For non violent convictions, with no drug history, and a crime free record for a reasonable length of time, I don't really have a problem.

 

[M1GarandPa]

As far as I know, there's only 2 legal processes available.
A BATF program that the NRA lobbied for, or a Pardon from the Governor from the felon's home state.

The problem with those processes is that Congress has pulled funding from the BATF program and the Governors from those states that have granted the Governors Pardon Authority, either refuse or are reluctant to exercise that power.

If you watch the videos of the current Presidential hopefuls addressing the NRA Legislation Leadership Forum, you'll see that while everyone of them obviously stood firm on their total support for the 2nd Amendment, none of them made any mention of Restoring 2nd Amendment Rights for those whom have proven that they deserve a 2nd Chance.

Here is Scott Walker's take on restoring 2nd Amendment Rights:

In a wide ranging interview on December 30, 2014 with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walkers’ response regarding possible pardons for convicted felons was reported as follows:

“ One issue on which Walker stood firm was his refusal, alone among at least the past six Wisconsin governors, to grant pardons to persons convicted of crimes. He feels strongly that he should not be able to “discount” the workings of the justice system by exercising this power, adding that systems of redress are already in place for those wrongly convicted.

Walker said that he most commonly gets pardon requests on behalf of people who made some youthful indiscretion but turned their lives around and now want to be able to go hunting with their children. He wonders, “What about all those other individuals who may not have an advocate but who have equally turned their lives around?”

Besides, he noted somewhat jokingly, individuals barred from gun possession due to felony convictions can still bow hunt.”

Is it a matter of the politicians simply telling voters what they think they want to hear or is it a lack of the ability to forgive those whom have made some stupid mistake in their lives.

There are probably 100's of ways to become a convicted felon but hardly any way at all of escaping the the stigma of being a 2nd class citizen.

 

[CaptainGyro]

While I see the humanity of your position, and am sure there are some felons who deserve a second chance, I have to point out that it's just not that difficult to get through the day without committing a felony.

I have been a jury foreman on three felony cases, and I can assure you that the justice system, and the jury system in particular, are rigged to make it difficult to get a felony conviction. Those who are convicted have hurt their fellow human beings in some significant way, and you don't have to be violent to do serious damage to another person, their life, their psyche, or their faith in their fellow man.

I applaud your compassion and decency, but you must realize that this isn't high on the list of things most people worry about.

 

[Charlie Petty]

Nice point Mike. Other than a few truly weird laws that make jaywalking a felony, one rally has to try to get convicted of a non-violent felony crime.

It would be hard to evaluate how many felons get rights restored because that doesn't make the news.

When Gen. Petraeus pled guilty to giving classified material to his mistress the plea bargain stated that he would not be prohibited from firearms ownership. Don't know about voting rights though.

 

[IrishCop]

What bothers me is that you don't have to be a convicted felon from being prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Any person who is convicted of misdemeanor Domestic Violence is prohibited from having a gun. Misdemeanor Domestic Violence includes Harassment, which can be verbal in nature. A lot of folks plead out not realizing the effect it has.

When the federal guidelines first came into effect, this stipulation included convictions prior to the passing of the laws. A lot of cops almost lost their jobs until they corrected their error.

 

[Diamondback]

On the other hand, Capt, if you look at how cconvoluted USC and CFR are... it's very easy to commit a Federal felony, especially with the Feds not requiring "mens rea", and the average person unknowingly commits three a day. (Seriously, tearing a tag off a pillow a felony? YGBFSM...)

As a kid, I spent one summer hanging around the family lawyer's office perusing the hardcopy of USC (this was early '90s so much shorter) he had filling several bookcases... I think I made it half of the way through the first volume, and that was with severe eye-glaze-over, cross-checking definitions to try to make sense of "a shoelace is a machinegun if..." ... you get the picture.