See, it's "bad" states like VA, GA, and PA that are the problem- but Chuckie has a plan to fix that.
http://www.syracuse.com/search/index.ssf?/base/opinion-1/105238290611890.xml?syropped
Gun-Runners, Beware
RICO prosecutions could help keep bullets from flying in Syracuse
May 08, 2003
Question: How easy is it to get a gun illegally in Syracuse? Answer: Too easy.
In recent years, hundreds of illegal weapons have found their way into the wrong hands in Central New York. How? Simple. Drive to Pennsylvania, or Virginia, or Georgia, or any other state with lax gun laws, and buy as many handguns as you like - for cash. (If you have a criminal record, bring along a friend to make the purchases for you.) Then drive home, spread the word and wait for customers. You can turn a tidy profit. You don't have to comply with New York's stricter gun-purchase laws - or bother about buyers with criminal records or what they do with the guns.
This is not how-to guide for gun-runners. It's a wake-up call that gun-running is out of control. With the recent spate of shootings in Syracuse; with memories still fresh of last year's record 25 homicide deaths in Syracuse, 14 of them gunshot victims; with local authorities and community leaders joining in an unprecedented assault on juvenile violence, it is imperative to keep guns out of town.
In December, Syracuse police said they had removed bureaucratic roadblocks to tracing a backlog of some 400 handguns recovered in recent years. That same month, federal agents arrested 14 men allegedly running guns up from Georgia. Because they were crossing state lines, the feds took jurisdiction. Late last month, two Syracuse men pleaded guilty to involvement in separate gun-running rings. On a visit to Syracuse, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer wondered if there might be an even bigger conspiracy out there.
Fifteen of the 70 weapons reportedly sold by the gun-runners have been recovered. One was used in a carjacking in Brooklyn. Three others were picked up in Syracuse crime probes. How many more are out there, ready to be used and used again in the bloody violence that ruins families and tears at the community?
The feds can seek stiffer sentences than local prosecutors. But the penalties have not deterred the gun-runners. So Schumer has come up with an innovative idea: He is asking Attorney General John Ashcroft to charge such suspects as racketeers.
Under the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations law (RICO), aimed at organized crime, prosecutors could broaden their investigations and present more evidence at trial. They could seek even harsher penalties, treble damages and recovery of legal costs, forfeiture of property. They could even target stores that sold the guns. RICO prosecutions require proof of an over-arching conspiracy. With authorities cooperating up and down the line, it's time to make the case.
http://www.syracuse.com/search/index.ssf?/base/opinion-1/105238290611890.xml?syropped
Gun-Runners, Beware
RICO prosecutions could help keep bullets from flying in Syracuse
May 08, 2003
Question: How easy is it to get a gun illegally in Syracuse? Answer: Too easy.
In recent years, hundreds of illegal weapons have found their way into the wrong hands in Central New York. How? Simple. Drive to Pennsylvania, or Virginia, or Georgia, or any other state with lax gun laws, and buy as many handguns as you like - for cash. (If you have a criminal record, bring along a friend to make the purchases for you.) Then drive home, spread the word and wait for customers. You can turn a tidy profit. You don't have to comply with New York's stricter gun-purchase laws - or bother about buyers with criminal records or what they do with the guns.
This is not how-to guide for gun-runners. It's a wake-up call that gun-running is out of control. With the recent spate of shootings in Syracuse; with memories still fresh of last year's record 25 homicide deaths in Syracuse, 14 of them gunshot victims; with local authorities and community leaders joining in an unprecedented assault on juvenile violence, it is imperative to keep guns out of town.
In December, Syracuse police said they had removed bureaucratic roadblocks to tracing a backlog of some 400 handguns recovered in recent years. That same month, federal agents arrested 14 men allegedly running guns up from Georgia. Because they were crossing state lines, the feds took jurisdiction. Late last month, two Syracuse men pleaded guilty to involvement in separate gun-running rings. On a visit to Syracuse, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer wondered if there might be an even bigger conspiracy out there.
Fifteen of the 70 weapons reportedly sold by the gun-runners have been recovered. One was used in a carjacking in Brooklyn. Three others were picked up in Syracuse crime probes. How many more are out there, ready to be used and used again in the bloody violence that ruins families and tears at the community?
The feds can seek stiffer sentences than local prosecutors. But the penalties have not deterred the gun-runners. So Schumer has come up with an innovative idea: He is asking Attorney General John Ashcroft to charge such suspects as racketeers.
Under the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations law (RICO), aimed at organized crime, prosecutors could broaden their investigations and present more evidence at trial. They could seek even harsher penalties, treble damages and recovery of legal costs, forfeiture of property. They could even target stores that sold the guns. RICO prosecutions require proof of an over-arching conspiracy. With authorities cooperating up and down the line, it's time to make the case.