Study of California gun law finds blacks most likely to face felony charges

[onerifle]

It couldn't possibly occur to them that the law is, itself, bogus?




Study of California gun law finds blacks most likely to face felony charges
Monday January 24, 2005
By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press Writer

http://wcbs880.com/national/GunLaw-aa/resources_news_html

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) A study of California's weapons registration law found that blacks were far more likely to be charged with a felony than whites, who were more often charged with a misdemeanor for the same offense.

The study by state Attorney General Bill Lockyer prompted calls for changes from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; the lawmaker who authored the legislation defended it.

The study examined data on how the law, which took effect Jan. 1, 2000, is being applied. The law makes it illegal for anyone to possess a gun who is not registered with the state as that firearm's owner. Offenders can be charged with a felony or a misdemeanor, a lesser count.

In 2003, less than 40 percent of whites faced felony charges under the law; more than 70 percent of blacks and nearly 70 percent of Hispanics were charged with felonies.

``Blacks were proportionately most likely to be filed on at the felony level, followed by Hispanics, other race/ethnic groups, and whites. This pattern exists throughout the period shown,'' the report states.

The law's author, Democratic state Sen. Jack Scott, said he left in the option of a misdemeanor charge in the event an individual has a good excuse for possessing a weapon not registered to him for instance, if the weapon is properly registered in the name of a spouse or other close relative.

Scott noted many of those charged with felony possession of an illegal handgun also were charged with other felonies at the same time. ``Perhaps more dangerous individuals are charged with a felony,'' he said.

Alice A. Huffman, president of the California State Conference of the NAACP, said her organization will work with the Legislature's black caucus to change the law or its enforcement.

``We know intuitively that we are being dealt with more harshly than whites. This just reinforces it,'' she said. The overall disparity is such that ``I don't know what else it could be other than race,'' she said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

 

[Hypnogator]

Paging Jim March!

Paging Jim March!

Perhaps the columnist would be interested in a followup about the discrimination in CCW.

 

[Standing Wolf]

``We know intuitively that we are being dealt with more harshly than whites. This just reinforces it,'' she said. The overall disparity is such that ``I don't know what else it could be other than race,'' she said.

Actually, leftist extremist so-called "gun control" is racist in origin, intent, and practice.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Is intuitive as used here related to the concept of knee jerk bigotry on the part of the NAACP?

 

[artherd]

Considering that the law allows the misdomenor charge generally only if no other crimes are being committed, then I would say this is sort of a flimsy non-statistic.

Almost as good as saying "having a gun means you're more likely to die from one!" (well, which came first? the gun in the nightstand? Or the ????ty gang-ridden neighborhood murdering thugs who shot her in her sleep with their stolen guns they got from police cars?) Chicken vs egg argument guys.

Even though the first gun control laws specifically banned only blacks, and the history of gun control in of itself holds it's origins in racism, and even genocide...

 

[LadySmith]

The NAACP has become notorious for suing gun manufacturers in an effort to keep guns out of the hands of Brown people.
This is the same racist basis for gun control laws in the U.S.
In times of emergency, it's possible some of those Brown people were forced to seek alternative means of obtaining firearms due to gun control laws.
Now some of them risk being convicted as felons for doing so while the NAACP proposes to look into it.
There's definitely some irony here.

 

[Langenator]

OK, let's leave aside the fact that having to register with the state for permission to have firearms is, in fact, unconstitutional.

Let's look into how stupid these victicrat legislators are. All we have to do is rearrange some paragraphs here.

``We know intuitively that we are being dealt with more harshly than whites. This just reinforces it,'' she said. The overall disparity is such that ``I don't know what else it could be other than race,'' she said.

Scott noted many of those charged with felony possession of an illegal handgun also were charged with other felonies at the same time. ``Perhaps more dangerous individuals are charged with a felony,'' he said.

That probably explains a big chunk of the discrepancy right there, although race isn't mentioned.

Given the fact that a higher percentage of the black population has criminal convictions than in the white population, I wonder how many of those other charges are for being a felon (or Lautenberg misdemeanor domestic violence convict) in possession of a firearm?

 

[trapshooter]

It's not that they don't want to lock up black gun owners. It's that they are hacked off that they aren't grabbing them all to the same degree.

 

[R.H. Lee]

I don't get it. What if the weapon is not 'registered' to anyone?

 

[yorick]

"...when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth..."

- Sherlock Holmes

 

[thorn726]

Scott noted many of those charged with felony possession of an illegal handgun also were charged with other felonies at the same time. ``Perhaps more dangerous individuals are charged with a felony,'' he said.

altohugh i definitely see daily the racism of the police, this quote pretty much says it . most likely the blacks had other stuff going on , or priors.

another detail they leave out= in my time here, i have seen not many guns used, but when guns and cops were involved, black guy involved in crimes as well.
too often the white guy was some guy who had a gun in the house, some idiot starts trouble, guy brings gun outside house and gets in trouble.

so what i am saying is that many of these whites charged with possesion were only guilty of that, so they get let off easy.
happens a lot, especially the white guy living alone in rough hood.

i think overall the law is probably not being applied unfairly in these cases.

what i would like to see is stats of people arrested for using a gun to defend themselves or property, how many whites vs blacks charged with felony in that situation. i bet the lines are a little more equal there.