WOW! 30 days in jail if you are a juvenile gun offender caught carrying a gun in public...

[spin]

that that will show those gun toting gang members.

Portland Council holds hearing on Mayor Sam Adam's proposed gun control laws
Published: Thursday, November 18, 2010, 6:30 PM


Mayor Sam Adams presents to council proposed new gun control ordinances aimed at reducing gang violence.

Supporters of Portland Mayor Sam Adam's proposed gun control laws Thursday called them a needed tool for law enforcement to crack down on gang-related shootings, while critics voiced concerns about their constitutionality, and potential for unfairly targeting young blacks.

Three proposed ordinances would hold adults responsible if their gun gets into a child's hands, penalize gun owners who don't report the theft or loss of a firearm, and designate shooting hot spots and allow the city to exclude certain gun offenders from them.

Two other code changes would set a 7 p.m. curfew for juveniles who have been convicted of a gun offense such as possessing or illegally using a firearm, and would enact a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days in jail for a gun offender found carrying a loaded gun in a public place, including a vehicle or on transit. emphasis added
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/portland_council_holds_hearing.html

Teen shootings need tougher penalties, prosecutor says
Last updated June 24, 2009 11:15 p.m. PT

When Seattle police caught Terry Lee Black with a handgun in his jacket pocket last year, authorities, in a manner of speaking, threw the book at the then-16-year-old.

It landed a bit lightly.

Black pleaded guilty to second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, a felony that in the juvenile court system carries a 30-day maximum sentence. He received the maximum term and was released from the county juvenile lockup on time served. Then, prosecutors say, he shot two men over a pair of stolen shoes.emphasis added

***snip***

Part of the problem, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said, is that state-mandated sentencing rules do little to punish children caught with guns, until they pull a trigger. In an effort to remedy the perceived weakness, Satterberg is now preparing to ask the legislature to toughen youth gun-possession sentences to dissuade children from carrying guns.

***snip***

Presently, teens arrested for illegal gun possession face minimal penalties until their fifth conviction, Satterberg said. Even at that point, they can only be sentenced to three to eight months at a state-run juvenile corrections center such as Echo Glenn Children's Center.
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/407574_adult24.html

It looks to me that if you are not a juvenile "gun offender" and are caught carrying a firearm illegally for the first time in public, you wouldn't get any real punishment, just a slap on the wrist with a wet noodle. No damn wonder that we have a problem with juveniles committing violent crime with firearms.

If I was the Major in Portland my proposal would move the mandatory minimum sentence for a juvenile with a gun offense record up to AT LEAST two years and would sentence anyone caught illegally carrying a firearm for the first time for at least one year.

Future gun control should focus on people illegally owning or carrying firearms and not attempting to restrict firearm ownership by honest law abiding citizens. Any punishment should be stiff enough to discourage the activity. I also feel that any juvenile who is caught carrying a firearm should be treated like an adult not a child.

[old mark]

1. Many of the same politicians who routinely call for "more gun laws"

do not enforce those laws already in existance. 3 ot the 4 convicted felons who murdered a Philly police officer last year had previous gun posession chagres dropped as part of plea bargains that sent them to prison for violent offenses - as a result, they had all been given early release from PA state prisons, planned and attempted to rob a bank with stolen guns almost immediately after release from prison, killed a police officer in the attempt.

mark

[jancantor]

2. You think that's bad

In the same county, until recently, a juvenile needed SIX (SIX!) convictions for auto theft (formerly (TMVWOP) before they could get sentenced to any real jail time (beyond a night or two).

SIX!

Also, it was against youth services center (the juvenile booking facility) policy to allow a juvenile to be BOOKED upon arrest for auto theft, since it was only a "non violent C felony". Officers were to arrest the kid, then call the parents. In fact, a kid could steal a car, elude police (also considered a non-violent felony) and still not even face a booking into juvenile hall (YSC). The only exception was if the kid was on active probation or had an active auto theft case already pending that hadn't been adjudicated.

It's gotten a little better, but WA state, and Satterburg's county (King) are absurdly weak on juveniles.

Interestingly, even a gross misdemeanor such as a domestic violence assault IS a mandatory booking.

Stolen car and elude police in a vehicle chase? no booking.

Shove your dad or slap him in the face? Mandatory booking...

[Euromutt]

3. I can see Hurley's point that Satterberg's proposal wouldn't improve things

Hurley's point that putting juvenile offenders away for longer in state-run institutions, and certainly putting them into the adult system, may only result in turning more of them into career criminals is highly plausible. I don't particularly favor the standard American knee-jerk "incarcerate more people for longer periods of time" response to perceived crime problems; at some point, those prisoners are going to be released, and bereft of options due to being ex-cons, they may all too readily turn back to crime, this time equipped with skills they've learned in prison.

However, the current system doesn't seem to be up to the task of handling cases like that of Terry Black, and Hurley's response that the current situation is good enough comes off sticking as her head in sand and refusing to acknowledge that there is a problem. Ideally, we should be intervening in these kids' criminal careers before they start leaving bodies on the ground, and I doubt there's a better opportunity than when they're caught illegally carrying.

And speaking as an inhabitant of King County, WA, if the rural areas are concerned about their teenagers getting locked up for being caught unsupervised with a varmint rifle, maybe we can sharpen the response for concealed weapons in populated areas. Or maybe the damn conservatives could exercise some of that personal responsibility they like to go on about so much.

[spin]

4. When I grew up in the 60s ...

teenagers often had .22 cal rifles and would go off in the woods and have fun plinking at tin cans. We were always careful to have a good backstop so we didn't endanger any houses or people. A few kids shot birds.

How dangerous are these teens you mention with varmint rifles? What are they hunting or shooting at? I'm not suggesting that locking them up is a bad idea, just not sure of the treat they present. I also realize that a varmint rifle is far more dangerous than a rifle that shoots .22 long rifle ammo. So maybe it would be a good idea to treat the rural kids the same us the urban kids.

Obviously, the teens carrying concealed handguns in public aren't aren't hunting or target shooting. While I agree that long incarceration is not the solution to many crimes, juveniles should be aware that carrying an illegal concealed firearm is an extremely serious crime and can't be tolerated.

[AJAX22]

5. Anyone who is carying a weapon with an illicit intent

Is not going to be dissuaded by a 30 day slap on the wrist.

Murdering people is already illegal last time I checked.