Iam not a felon.

[Master PO]

I've accidentally carried in a Post Office before. Should I be permanently stripped of my rights? Because if I got caught, that's exactly what would have happened, regardless of my CHL.

if caught.... in you case there would be a trial, and that trial would have determined you innocent or guilty.

you would have had representation... to state that your act was not intentional.

if the court were to find you guilty , then they would have had to show, you performed you action with intent to break the law.

and proven intent , will take away your right to a firearm

 

[SMTA]

I don't buy that. Sure, people who are violent or victimizers either need to be put in rehabilitation programs or incarcerated for long stretches. People who are in the drug scene whether that be selling, possessing, or buying have a separate set of issues, some are criminally minded(sellers) just exploiting the black market created by drug laws, users are addicted, instead of getting them help we just "deal with them" at 45K+ a year a pop and have so many of them that we don't have room for people who truly belong there. I think of what I would do if someone told me "Them's the rules, you can't get a professional license, can't work in these places(By law, I believe in private business rights and they should be able to hire/fire at will) can't do this or that" and how desperate a person can get with the boot on them, even after they've fully repaid their debt to society.
Let's say a person went to the trouble of attending rehabilitation programs during their incarceration, realized they were on the wrong path, then had an "Aha" moment. I've never been a felon but have changed certain things I was doing in life because after getting perspective, I was wrong. It's possible for people to improve, not easy, and sure, some never will, but to put a blanket punishment on former felons to me is just asking them to do something again out of desperation.

I had a friend who was killed years ago by her ex, who was also an ex felon.

Stalked her in her work parking lot when she got off, and killed her with a shotgun.

Yea, they are all rehabilitated angels.

Everyone claims to want to help an ex felon, but if running a business they probably would not hire them.

 

[Captain America]

I had a friend who was killed years ago by her ex, who was also an ex felon.

Stalked her in her work parking lot when she got off, and killed her with a shotgun.

Yea, they are all rehabilitated angels.

Everyone claims to want to help an ex felon, but if running a business they probably would not hire them.

If at all possible, I would avoid them like the plague.

 

[LaMidRighter]

I had a friend who was killed years ago by her ex, who was also an ex felon.

Stalked her in her work parking lot when she got off, and killed her with a shotgun.

Yea, they are all rehabilitated angels.

Everyone claims to want to help an ex felon, but if running a business they probably would not hire them.

Oh I get it, there are plenty of career criminals and I don't advocate looking the other way entirely. If someone truly keeps their nose clean for at least five years I think it's time to start cutting small breaks at least, if they make it ten there is even less chance of recidivism. Most criminals likely to reoffend do so within a five year window of release, and usually actually within a few months. I've actually lost a relative to violence, didn't know her well but she was a cousin of mine, and the guy was a technical felon(her husband, an illegal immigrant). I can't say if I ever start a business again whether or not I would hire a former felon, I would hear someone out and see if I trusted the read I got of them, but I take everything as situational.

 

[LaMidRighter]

If at all possible, I would avoid them like the plague.

It depends on the person, if I get the first idea that they are trying to find a weak spot or an opportunity I'll keep them at distance.

 

[LaMidRighter]

Just to give another bit of perspective of how easy it could be to turn someone into a felon; Let's say one is hanging out with a good friend and notes just how good the friend's music collection is, the friend makes a mix tape/CD/MP3 recording for that person. During a traffic stop an officer notices a bootleg looking cassette box(or other medium) and notifies the FBI of the observations with warrant issued. Normally this would not happen, but in the hypothetical if you got a Judge Dredd type officer or agent the person receiving and distributing the copy are both guilty of intellectual property theft, with penalties up to 250K per incident and up to five years incarceration in a federal penitentiary. Under that scenario both of these friends would be felons prohibited from owning a firearm, for nothing more than a thoughtless moment of sharing their music collection(illegally).

 

[SMTA]

Oh I get it, there are plenty of career criminals and I don't advocate looking the other way entirely. If someone truly keeps their nose clean for at least five years I think it's time to start cutting small breaks at least, if they make it ten there is even less chance of recidivism. Most criminals likely to reoffend do so within a five year window of release, and usually actually within a few months. I've actually lost a relative to violence, didn't know her well but she was a cousin of mine, and the guy was a technical felon(her husband, an illegal immigrant). I can't say if I ever start a business again whether or not I would hire a former felon, I would hear someone out and see if I trusted the read I got of them, but I take everything as situational.

I know that you get it.

We generally are in agreement here, but this situation is different for me.

I have also seen an increase in robberies in my county driven by Heroin addiction.

These felons are usually repeat offenders, and there are way too many plea deals offered by the local prosecutor to keep them incarcerated.

 

[Surtr]

if caught.... in you case there would be a trial, and that trial would have determined you innocent or guilty.

you would have had representation... to state that your act was not intentional.

if the court were to find you guilty , then they would have had to show, you performed you action with intent to break the law.

and proven intent , will take away your right to a firearm

Intent would have absolutely nothing to do with a conviction in that case.

 

[Master PO]

Intent would have absolutely nothing to do with a conviction in that case.

just because you are on government property with a firearm does not automatically mean you are guilty.

people break the law all the time, without criminal intent, and those factors are looked at by the court.

you made a mistake by walking on to the property, and you have to answer for that mistake by trial.

but you are not instantly convicted and your rights taken from you.

 

[Surtr]

just because you are on government property with a firearm does not automatically mean you are guilty.

people break the law all the time, without criminal intent, and those factors are looked at by the court.

you made a mistake by walking on to the property, and you have to answer for that mistake by trial.

but you are not instantly convicted and your rights taken from you.

Nor did I ever say that conviction was instant. I would have been convicted if caught, simply because I had a firearm in a post office. Whether intent was there or not is irrelevant in such a case.

 

[Master PO]

Nor did I ever say that conviction was instant. I would have been convicted if caught, simply because I had a firearm in a post office. Whether intent was there or not is irrelevant in such a case.

you will find courts do look at intent.

 

[LaMidRighter]

I know that you get it.

We generally are in agreement here, but this situation is different for me.

I have also seen an increase in robberies in my county driven by Heroin addiction.

These felons are usually repeat offenders, and there are way too many plea deals offered by the local prosecutor to keep them incarcerated.

I admitted on one of these felon in possession situations that the prohibitions are necessary as the justice system currently stands. I want to see major reforms that keep violent offenders locked up for as long of a stretch as possible, they are the most dangerous among us and it is a public safety issue. People addicted to substances should be compelled to get help, not incarcerated IMO but that is the negative of prohibition that already proved itself during the 1920s.