Re: turn in your knives!

[Drsolly <drsollyp () drsolly com>]

On Thu, 25 May 2006, Brian Loe wrote:

> On 5/25/06, Blanchard_Michael () emc com <Blanchard_Michael () emc com> wrote:
>
> >   If the penalty for robbing a gumball machine is 2 days in prison.
> > BUT, the penalty for robbing that same gumball machine with a gun or
> > knife or other deadly weapon on your person is 2 YEARS in prison witout
> > early release, how many bad guys are going to rob that gumball machine
> > with a gun or knife on them?  Only the really reeally stupid, that's
> > who....
>
> So far, this appears to be true. The NRA has pushed a program like
> that for years now - they use it in Missouri and Virginia (probably
> many other places). It states that any crime committed with a firearm
> will result in a 5 year minimum sentence.
>
> That's all well and good and though it does appear to cut down on
> violent crime with firearms, I'm against it as being unConstitutional.
> The sentence is supposed to fit the crime, and if the sentence is laid
> out before the crime has even been committed - let alone heard in
> court and judged - then it can't fit that crime. A nation of

What you should do is have a higher maximum sentence for offenced commited 
while tooled up. Because, obviously, it's a worse crime if the offender 
was carrying at the time.

> individuals should be able to understand that, and then be
> understanding in the jury room. Mercy is a big part of our justice
> system and far too often we allow a prosecutor to be merciless simply
> because some BS bureaucrat in DC or Jefferson City wants to score
> points on the "tough on crime" meter for his next election.

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