More Clownery in Canton OH

[MP_OHIO]

You guys will not believe this one




More Clownery in Canton

Canton City Council this week allocated $20,000 for a gun bounty program. This is far worse than the silly "security theater" known as a gun buy-back. Most of the $20,000 will be paid as $100 rewards to anonymous informants whose tips enable police to confiscate illegally carried guns.

Every gun sighting in Canton now has a $100 bill attached to it. If an ambitious Canton resident happens to get a glimpse of your lawfully carried pistol, they'll have a $100 incentive to hit 9-1-1. And many will.

Every law-abiding, concealed-carry licensee in Canton will be the target of a city-financed snitch campaign. Every time a licensee's gun is accidentally exposed—a routine occurrence, particularly with lighter clothing in warm weather—an innocent citizen may be faced with an interrogation by the Canton Police. Remember: An Ohio concealed-carry licensee is under no obligation to ensure that their firearm remains perfectly concealed. Indeed, it's legal to carry entirely in the open!

In light of the Canton Police Department's epic debacle involving patrolman Dan Harless—the cop who threatened to execute an innocent concealed-carry licensee in one of the worst cases of police abuse in recent U.S. history—you'd think the city would have developed some respect for the state's 8-year-old concealed-handgun licensing program. But Canton's "gun bounty" initiative proves just the opposite. The city has painted a very real target on the back of every law-abiding citizen with a concealed-carry license.

Moreover, you don't have to be a Constitutional scholar to spot the gun bounty's violation of Fourth Amendment rights. Let's simply replace the word "gun" with "prescription drug" (both those items can be carried legally or illegally, and both are deadly in the wrong hands). Now suppose that, in an effort to curtail prescription drug abuse, the City of Canton placed a cash bounty on sightings of people with more than three containers of medication in their purses or briefcases. Hundreds of decent, innocent people would be detained and harassed, and the city ultimately would be liable for an egregious violation of its citizens' Fourth Amendment rights and other civil rights. In such a scenario, it also might be possible for city officials to face criminal prosecution and serve prison time.

Canton's "gun bounty" program is a breathtakingly stupid idea that's ripe for the worst type of abuse. Canton City Council has ventured onto exceedingly thin ice. We hope they hear the cracks forming before they feel the icy water.

[SONYtec]

I think everyone should carry open, they will get a lot of calls, overwelming them, and all the money will be used up.

With no money left, no more calls will be made, as no one would get paid.

[KK_Supa_V]

I'm from Ohio and this is quite bothersome. Hopefully other cities don't think this is a good idea and follow suit and enact somthing stupid like this.

If people were more eduacated things like this would not happen.

[jathtech]

The "Spirit of the Law" is sound, however, in reality it will just cause tons of headaches for police officers and rights violations for law abiding citizens. They should instead avoid the gun portion of the law, and say if you have information that could lead to the arrest of a person who is intending to commit a felony, etc..

Oh wait, they pretty much already do that huh? Cept maybe they should make good on their rewards.

[MP_OHIO]

Canton is probably the worst area in Ohio for anti-gun setiment Toledo was pretty bad when I lived there, but nothing like Canton. I live in the country west of Columbus. I doubt we have any issues here. Actually, Dayton came out with a reduction in violent crime, but could give the credit to the "record" increase in CCW permits.

[Blooze]

The "Spirit of the Law" is sound, however, in reality it will just cause tons of headaches for police officers and rights violations for law abiding citizens. They should instead avoid the gun portion of the law, and say if you have information that could lead to the arrest of a person who is intending to commit a felony, etc..

Oh wait, they pretty much already do that huh? Cept maybe they should make good on their rewards.

The "Spirit of the Law" is sound? Are you out of your mind?

[jathtech]

The idea is to get criminals who shouldn't be owning guns in the first place, basically people who have committed crimes in the past, who decided to ignore that little thing in their conviction saying they cannot own a gun, off the streets. It should be targeting gangsters and armed robbers. That's the "spirit" of which I am referring. However, the law itself does not make this a clear predicate for reporting someone. It is illegal for a felon to own a gun... as it should be.

There are exceptions of course... non-violent criminals, and people who have been reformed, and are now law-abiding citizens after having a rocky past should be allowed, obviously.

They shouldn't be targeting guns at all though. They should be targeting the CRIMINALS directly.

[TAFFY003]

The idea is to get criminals who shouldn't be owning guns in the first place, basically people who have committed crimes in the past, who decided to ignore that little thing in their conviction saying they cannot own a gun, off the streets. It should be targeting gangsters and armed robbers. That's the "spirit" of which I am referring. However, the law itself does not make this a clear predicate for reporting someone. It is illegal for a felon to own a gun... as it should be.

There are exceptions of course... non-violent criminals, and people who have been reformed, and are now law-abiding citizens after having a rocky past should be allowed, obviously.

They shouldn't be targeting guns at all though. They should be targeting the CRIMINALS directly.

Agreed.

The lawmakers (like all lawmakers) saw a problem and went with what they believe is a solution, but failed to follow the logic train of their action to its conclusion.