C&P McDonnell To Bloomberg: No More Undercover Gun
McDonnell To Bloomberg: No More Undercover Gun Buys
BY MICHAEL FELBERBAUM
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -
Attorney General Bob McDonnell has warned New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg about a new law that would prevent the mayor from sending undercover private investigators to by guns in Virginia.
The Republican mayor has sued 27 out-of-state gun dealers in attempt to reduce the flow of illegal guns into New York. Between 80 and 90 percent of the firearms used to commit crimes in the city are initially purchased out of state, according to police.
City officials say the dealers here supplied hundreds of weapons used in New York City crimes. The lawsuits, which name dealers in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, ask the courts to require monitoring of the shops' sales. Twelve have settled.
"While I understand that you are attempting to take steps that you believe may enhance the public safety of the citizens of New York City, such laws are Virginia's duty to enforce." McDonnell wrote in a letter to Bloomberg last month apprising him of the law that goes into effect July 1.
Wearing hidden cameras, investigators tried to make "straw purchases," in which one person fills out the legal forms and buys a gun for someone else. The practice is prohibited by federal law and is typically used by those who cannot legally own firearms, such as convicted felons.
The new state law makes undercover gun purchases by non-law enforcement entities a felony. McDonnell said the law "strikes the proper balance between ensuring effective law enforcement and protecting the rights of law abiding firearms dealers" and the Second Amendment rights of Virginians.
"Law abiding Virginia gun dealers certainly do not deserve to be targeted by private agents intentionally misleading them as to their intentions and motives," said Tucker Martin, a spokesman for McDonnell's office. "This is a courtesy to the mayor. Prior actions of his are now felony offenses in the commonwealth and he knows this."
In the letter, McDonnell also mentioned a recent letter from the Department of Justice to Bloomberg that said "such activity is counterproductive to legitimate law enforcement efforts to police illegal firearm trafficking and has potential legal liabilities."
Mayoral spokesman Jason Post said the office will continue to "develop innovative and aggressive ways to keep New Yorkers safe."
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They oughtta move them to Alaska.
Doug0 -
Good for Virginia. I wasn't aware of their law & wonder if our legslators in Georgia are? Would be a good thing to propose in the next session.
By the way, has anyone ever noticed the pretzel logic of the anti-gun toads in this particular argument? Their main claim, of course, is that the easy availability of guns is the cause for gun-related crime, but here they're effectively admitting that guns are illegally flowing to the criminals in areas with tight gun "control" for the law-abiding. By their usual argument it should be just the reverse if it's the firearm availability that sparks the crime. Just more proof that gun control is NOT crime control.0 -
One of the things they don't mention very often is the most frequently committed "gun related crime" in New York City is possessing a gun in New York City. 0 -
Bloomberg doesn't have a single functioning brain cell. What a putz.
All those gun shops should have banded together and hired one good lawyer to tell that asshat Bloomberg where to stick his gun sale monitoring suggestion. If that moronic dweeb really wanted to make New Yorkers safer he'd encourage them to carry self-defense firearms.0 -
I am glad to see at least one state had the courage to step up and tell Bloomberg to keep his ego in New York City. He thinks he is the ruler of the whole NE apparantly. 0 -
bloomberg is a putz...but a very intelligent one, he uses all the right buttons to get the new york wussies to think he's the best thing since sliced bread. he always was anti or pro anything that would strike a cord with the new york ultra democrates. and of course he always looks through his binoculars backwards, seeing a small picture and ignoring the bigger one. 0 -
Isn't it illegal to Conspire to cross state lines to commit a crime (straw purchases if firearms)? Why aren't these guys in a federal lockup with the Mayor?
If I go to New York to buy drugs and get caught, can I claim I'm undercover for the state of Virginia and only protecting my kids?
Bovine Scat.0
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