Crime stoppers asking for illegal guns

[RH822]

Just watched a Crime Stoppers add on TV, turn in a person for having an illegal gun, if it results in an arrest or gets a illegal gun off the street then you get the normal crime stopper reward plus a bonus on top of it. IIRC the CS reward is $500.
This is in NE Indiana and is the first time I have ever seen this type of program sponsored by CS. Seems pretty clever at first glance, let's get BG's to turn each other in. But I can see paranoid sheeple turning in the neighbor guy who owns the legal EBR next door.

RH

 

[WolfMansDad]

It's a terrible idea.

 

[kd7nqb]

Actually I think as RESPONSIBLE gun owners we should support keeping the guns in the hands of responsible individuals. With the hope that this does not end in a meltdown program. If the weapon is only illegal because of the person owning it then put it back into circulation. If its a restricted class or MG then we might have a harder battle.

 

[Eleven Mike]

I've got a couple of cheap guns I could plant on some unfortunate with a criminal record. Just kidding.

 

[General Geoff]

This could be good or bad. I have this odd feeling that lots of people are going to rat out gun owners of all kinds, and when the dust settles, maybe 1% of all those accused will actually be in illegal ownership of a gun. And then everyone who ratted them out will be astonished and shocked that all those "evil guns" are perfectly legal, and possibly push for more restrictive legislation.


No, I'm not cynical at all.

 

[WolfMansDad]

This is a bad idea because it supports bad laws, namely gun registration. How can a gun be "illegal"? Why, by being unregistered, of course!

As for a person being prohibited from owning firearms, if they are that dangerous, why are they not incarcerated?

The whole thing stinks.

 

[carebear]

Also, the success will be trumpeted by number of reports made, not the corrected figure of how many guns actually turn out to be illegally possessed.

 

[wally]

Bogus tips about people with anti-gun politician yard signs should shut the whole thing down after a few gestopo raids.

--wally.

 

[jungleroy]

sounds like crimestoppers is going to insite more crime.

Once an average joe, who has done no crime and posesses no illegal firearms, is turned in by his rat-fink neighbor or coworker, the jack booted thugs them serve a no knock warrant, violate said joe's rights, take all of his toys, likely break them in trying to prove that one is not a politically correct weapon, he will likely not get them back from the (gov), and recieve no appology or compensation, if and only if he survives the innitial raid. I hope that I am wrong.

 

[RoyJackson]

I see a number of law suits resulting from this.

 

[carebear]

The real question is...

Does it go far enough in protecting the children?

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Turn In Illegal People

Since, on its own, no gun commits a crime, this only serves to hassle law-abiding citizens.

I have a Better Idea™.

Let's turn in illegal people.

If the guy is a felon and has a gun, don't turn in the stupid gun, turn in the felon. If the guy is breaking some other law, then turn him in for that.

If we're going to turn the country into a nation of rats, let's at least rat out the right things.

Extra points if you can rat out a politician for drafting unconstitutional legislation.

Even more bonus points if you can catch a legislator breaking a law he wrote himself.

For catching a dirty politician/legislator, your reward is a shiny new US-made 1911-series pistol or any American-made scoped rifle in .308 (other game calibres may be substituted). Alternatively, a special edition Ruger 10/22 and MkIII pistol companion set.

These pieces will be engraved with Jefferson's famous saying:

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

 

[CrazyIrishman]

This reminds me of when the "Beltway Murderers" aka- "Beltway Snipers" shot several people in the Baltimore-washington metro area. My choice for a name for them isn't even close to "Snipers", thats for sure!

During this time the news stations (Ch 11 & 13 IIRC)were asking for people to snitch anyone out who had a EBR!

On TFL in October of 2002 was a post about ATF seizing about 5000 rifles in the Montgomery County area.

 

[NailGun]

IIRC, at one point in history, the government (not ours) just handed out blankets to the young informants. (who sometimes betrayed their own families) Hmmm. Maybe life ain't so good.

 

[thexrayboy]

Reporting people for having "illegal" guns is OK. Rewarding them with cash to do it gives to many disgruntled people incentive to do the wrong thing.

We all have seen countless reports of JBT middle of the night no knock warrants being served with tragic consequences because some un-named confidential informant reportedly bought drugs there. This will be the same exact thing, all you have to do is substitute the word narcotic on the warrant with firearm and voila. Instant tragedy. BAD IDEA!!!!!!!

 

[ArcherandShooter]

This is a HORRIBLE idea...

1. It will eventually lead to a tragic shooting of either innocent citizen or LEO or both during a midnight raid based on a phony tip.

2. It will keep people thinking that guns are the problem instead of criminals

3. It will result in LOTS of wasted LEO time and money, as well as inestimable hassle and cost for citizens, since most of those inclined to rat them out have no idea what the law actually says, and will send in all sorts of bogus tips. EBR owners, beware of letting anyone see your rifle! :banghead:

4. It will NOT even accomplish its ostensible goal.

Talk about a waste.

 

[10 Ring Tao]

 

[Deaf Smith]

Then what if I leave an 'illegal' gun in some bushes, and I telephone in and say I say a 5 foot 8 man wearing non-descrpit cloths dump the gun.

See I have few junk guns, and well, 500 bucks for a 25 dollar gun sounds like a deal!

I think this crime stoppers idea is just rife with abuse as others have posted. But a savvy guy could make a bundle!

 

[CrazyIrishman]

This is starting to sound like we're going back in time to Massachusetts Colony in 1692!

Anyone ready for some WITCH HUNTS?

I think its a terrible idea that no good will come from. This is going to get out of hand and innocent law abiding gunowners & non-gunowners alike will suffer. How bad remains to be seen.

 

[Manedwolf]

Neighbor turns in legal gun owner because they don't like guns.

Legal gun owner gets no-knock raid.

Legal gun owner gets shot like the 93-year-old.

Oops.

And then it will be spun. DEAD MILITANT SHOT BY POLICE HAD ARSENAL OF GUNS AND THOUSANDS OF ROUNDS OF MILITARY AMMUNITION.

 

[jeepmor]

Define ILLEGAL gun

How do we define ILLEGAL gun? Maybe we should contact Crimestoppers and remind them to concentrate on the real problem, criminals, not their tools of choice. Most tool owners know tools don't kill people, people kill people.

Their headquartered in Texas, the gun state, what a shame.

Crime Stoppers International, Inc.
Corporate Office
P.O. Box 614
Arlington, TX 76004-0614
USA
800.850.7574
(U.S. and Canada)
817.451.9229
(Outside U.S. and Canada)
817.446.1576
(Corporate Telecopier)


And check out these stats from their intl website.

Cases cleared 1,087,814
Arrest Made 633,615
Rewards paid $99,595,802
Proper Rcvd. $1,615,826,688
Drugs seized $6,115,564,597 thru Nov 2006
----------------------------------------------
Total $$ rcvd $7,731,391,285

Lets see, $7,631,795,483 in profit

$381,589,774.15 per year since 76 inception
$31,799,147.85 per month
$12,044.85 per Arrest
$7015.71 per case cleared

Not that I think their profit driven or anything less than altruistic.

The MOB would be quite proud of these type of statistics.

They also have a U.N. day celebration article for the past Oct. 24. An American organization directly endorsing the hugely corrupt U.N. from Texas no less. Wow, there's a MadTV parody skit in here somewhere, even better, a robot chicken skit.

One last bit from website

In the past month Crime Stoppers programs have seized $36,137,477 in illicit drugs and recovered $3,449,790 in stolen property. The accumulative figures date from 1976 when the first Crime Stoppers program was established in Albuquerque, New Mexico