Your opinion on felons owning guns?

[marksman13]

I don’t have any issue with a convicted felon going through the process to get his/her firearms rights back. I have a good friend whom is going through this process right now. He’s a genuinely different person than he was a decade ago. He had a possession charge and a possession with intent charge and he’s working with a lawyer to have those charges expunged. He wants to bring his kids up in the outdoors and wants to be able to teach them to shoot and hunt. I’m rooting for him.

I know other convicts that I wouldn’t want anywhere near a firearm. People aren’t all the same and I’m not going to paint them all with the same broad brush.

I honestly believe that people should not be punished over and over again for the same offense. My friend did his year in prison. He changed his life completely. Got a good job and became actively involved in his community and works hard to keep young guys from making the same bad choices that he made. That guy, in my book, deserves every second chance that life will allow.

 

[herrwalther]

I worked long enough in corrections to know that the only difference between a non violent felon and a violent felon is what level of desperation they are willing to deal with. I have worked with plenty of non violent felons that turned violent, and did that assault/robbery/arson/murder to pay for that drug habit or settle that debt or get that revenge. Based on that experience, no. Felons should not be allowed to own firearms. Caveat here, corrections is a revolving door. In my state, less felons are going to prison due to overcrowding and a very large DOJ lawsuit. So felons with drug based charges are getting into rehabs or minimal supervision confinement like parole. I've known felons that could get a gun within an hour of getting released. One particular felon I know got a gun 15 minutes after running from a rehab, still on the same road, and in the compound's uniform.

Long and short is no they should not have firearms. But they are going to get them anyway.

 

[Jack Ryan]

First off, I'm not a felon lol. I like having the ability to pick my guns out brand new from the case...so this isn't about me.

Just curious on how you all feel about it. My childhood involved a lot of felons around and they all owned firearms. None of these were violent criminals or anything. It was mainly just middle aged guys that had went to prison for selling pills when they were younger, and considered the charge worth having the ability to defend themselves and their families. Even today, I'm pretty much disassociated with whatever few of these people may still be alive, but I still run across felons with guns. I live in the hood cause rents cheaper and I don't have any kids to take care of yet. All the felons out here that aren't strung out on dope have guns...but that's to be expected.

Mainly just talking about your average working class man with a family that got locked up for something like drug charges in his younger days.

Do you guys know people like that with guns? Almost every felon I know owns at least one firearm. The percentage of non felons I know with firearms is way smaller, and this is in a gun friendly state like TN.

NO I do not have any friends like that and I don't hang around with them. If a person does NOT want to be killed, shot, murdered or robbed, the absolute best thing they can do to lower the odds of that happening is DO NOT HANG AROUND criminals, felons, drug addicts.

On the main question, my opinion is felons should be in JAIL, in LONGER, and doing harder time. Most jails frown on the inmates having guns. I concur.

 

[Hugger-4641]

I think it depends on the type of felony. The guy who got busted with 50 happy plants, I don't really have a problem with.
The guy who robbed or hurt someone should never have the right to own a weapon again. Just my 2c.

 

[Sistema1927]

Here is how it would be if I was King:

If a felon is a violent criminal, he should be locked up where he can't hurt my subjects, preferably on some vermin infested island surrounded by man eating sharks.

If he doesn't match that description, and has paid his debt to society and been subsequently released, he should have all of his rights restored.

That is how it would be if I was King.

But since I am not King, and it doesn't look like I ever will be, I would advocate that non-violent felons, who have done their time, should have all of their rights restored. Whether or not anyone will listen is up in the air.

 

[Alte Schule]

With the exception of the mentally impaired everyone knows the difference between right and wrong. As a retired LEO my thoughts on this subject are somewhat callous. I have no sympathy for criminals. Most convicted felons made a conscious decision to violate the law. They all know what the consequences are or will be if caught. If we make exceptions for felons or certain felonies where does it stop?

 

[dcloco]

People making bad decisions become felons, by choice. ALL knew what they were doing could have complications, if caught.

Every state has help for people that made bad decisions......pardon.

It is hard to group EVERY felon the same as the other.

If you want to know the truth, consult a parole officer. Recidivism rate is extremely high - as in 75%.

 

[Waveski]

I have strong reservations about legalizing guns for felons, but it would be really interesting and probably quite entertaining to watch a panel of catch and release oriented public employees passing judgement on who qualifies as “non-violent” so that he or she may possess a gu-gu ——-ggunnn!

 

[crstrode]

Do our prisons rehabilitate criminals, and change them into law-abiding citizens so when they get out they finally know right from wrong?

Didn't think so.

So, what does "serving your time" have to do with anything?

Sorta like serving your time in high school and graduating without mastery of the three Rs

 

[crstrode]

I don't believe in anyone losing the right to self preservation. If someone did their time they SHOULD have all rights restored unto them. Violent or Not doesn't matter to me.

Murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc, should not be preserved.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc, should not be preserved.

Just because you harbor certain views against those people as do I, they still have rights afforded to them as American citizens, no one should be able to tell another they do not have rights. Saying felons shouldn't have 2nd Amendment rights is akin to saying "I support the 2A BUT..."

 

[crstrode]

Just because you harbor certain views against those people as do I, they still have rights afforded to them as American citizens, no one should be able to tell another they do not have rights. Saying felons shouldn't have 2nd Amendment rights is akin to saying "I support the 2A BUT..."

Felons gonna be felonious.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Excellent question. A Professor of Constitutional Law pointed out to me that U.S. law does not provide for loss of rights-a felon doesn't lose his right to counsel or trial by jury, property rights,e.g.

 

[GEM]

We have systems for both aggression and compassion. Time for a behavioral neuroscience course. They have a critical period to lock in and are thus subject to environmental influences. The model is experience dependant process, experience expectant processes and their interaction.

 

[rust collector]

Just because you harbor certain views against those people as do I, they still have rights afforded to them as American citizens, no one should be able to tell another they do not have rights. Saying felons shouldn't have 2nd Amendment rights is akin to saying "I support the 2A BUT..."

Absolutes make wonderful slogans and rhetoric, but all rights are limited. You may not yell "fire" in a crowded theatre. There is a legal maxim that every good dog gets one bite. Thereafter, they are no longer a good dog, and may no longer enjoy the presumption and protection that is accorded a good dog.

 

[KY DAN]

With the exception of the mentally impaired everyone knows the difference between right and wrong. As a retired LEO my thoughts on this subject are somewhat callous. I have no sympathy for criminals. Most convicted felons made a conscious decision to violate the law. They all know what the consequences are or will be if caught. If we make exceptions for felons or certain felonies where does it stop?

I bet you are fun at parties, do you want everyone to be disarmed because the legal system is doing it's best to make everyone a felon.

 

[TarDevil]

"Ms Perkins, your membership to the Continental has been by thine own hand revoked."

 

[Waveski]

I bet you are fun at parties, do you want everyone to be disarmed because the legal system is doing it's best to make everyone a felon.

That makes no sense as a response to what Alte said.

 

[Alte Schule]

I bet you are fun at parties, do you want everyone to be disarmed because the legal system is doing it's best to make everyone a felon.

From that seven sentence paragraph how do you derive that I want everyone to be disarmed?"The legal system is doing it's best to make everyone a felon?" Please explain.

 

[DeepSouth]

Just because you harbor certain views against those people as do I, they still have rights afforded to them as American citizens, no one should be able to tell another they do not have rights. Saying felons shouldn't have 2nd Amendment rights is akin to saying "I support the 2A BUT..."

People give up rights by committing crimes.
Some people even lose the right to keep living.

 

[rust collector]

This topic came up on another thread which was locked because the discussion went off topic. There is plenty of room for rumination, illumination and disagreement, so long as we can avoid snarky comments and junk science. Opinions were requested, they will naturally be a product of our experience and observations, and we may learn a few things if we keep an open mind.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

meh

 

[Atavar]

You all are talking like there is no process to restore the civil rights of felons. In virtually every state a felon can appeal first to the governor to have your basic civil rights restored, then to the circuit court to have your right to bear arms restored.
I see no problem to seeing some red tape and a burden for proof of citizenship (the behavior) as a step towards having rights restored. The onus for this is rightly with the felon.
I don’t see what you are all arguing about as these rights -including the right to vote and the right to bear arms- are already restorable for felons not convicted for domestic violence.

I’m Virginia for example the process is detailed here: https://www.bjoneslegal.com/how-to-get-your-gun-rights-restored-if-you-are-a-felon/

In Minnesota you just have to petition the circuit court.

If you are a felon and want your right to bear arms restored talk to an attorney. It can be done.

It is better to understand your position *before* climbing on your soap box.

 

[DarkswordDX]

A right is a right. If they can't be trusted to own a weapon then why were they let out of prison?

 

[Atavar]

Prison is not rehabilitation. Prison is punishment. Prison does nothing to address repayment to society or victims for damages.
As I said above the process exists to allow felons to have their rights restored. They just have to follow the process.