A Shameful Day Indeed...

After a HUGE but narrow victory for the Constitution in the US Senate yesterday, President Obama said it was a shameful day.  He then quoted polls that he said showed 90% of Americans and 80% of Republicans supported the legislation that he said would help stop criminals from getting guns.  Nonsense.

What if the question in the poll were posed, "Do you support enforcing gun laws that are already written, or passing more laws?"  I'm pretty sure the numbers would change.

Atlantic City police suspect shooting probed; brother of deceased attacks officer

 A city man is accused of an array of weapons charges following an incident in which another suspect was reportedly shot and killed by police.

A third man - the brother of the deceased - faces charges of assaulting a police officer. And the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the shooting.

An officer on Monday allegedly fired shots, wounding 18-year-old Derreck Mack of Atlantic City, following a report of two armed males in Stanley Holmes Village.

Mack was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center City Campus, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities said officers responding to the Village came upon Mack and 24-year-old Terry Davis. They ordered the two men to stop and immediately drop their weapons, and Davis obeyed, investigators said.

But Mack ran, they alleged, and officers chased him to the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. There, the officer reportedly fired and hit Mack.

Davis was charged with possession of a weapon, in this case a Kel Tech 9mm Luger handgun. He was also charged with possession of the same for an unlawful purpose, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon (for robbery in his case), and unlawful possession of the Luger ammunition, which authorities said was loaded in the gun he had.

Davis was also charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, for initially trying to flee when encountered by the officers.

Shortly after Mack was shot, his brother, 19-year-old Raymond Mack, allegedly punched a police sergeant in the face. The older brother was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, as well as possession of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of school property.

He and Davis were each committed to Atlantic County Jail in default of $100,000 full cash bail.

 

 Raymond Mack was on parole for weapons violations at the time he assaulted the police officer.  He was released within days.  New Jersey State Parole said he did not violate his parole by punching a police officer, or by being in possession of cocaine.  Within two weeks, a stolen gun was found by police at his residence.  His parole was still not violated, said New Jersey.  On March 26, 2013, Mack was arrested by federal investigators for conspiracy to distribute heroin (during that investigation, it was determined that Mack was in possession of a handgun, and facilitated handguns being transferred among other gang members).  New Jersey State Parole said this was not a violation of his parole either.

This is not the exception, this is the rule, in New Jersey - which the Brady Foundation has ranked as having the 9th as the most strict gun laws in the nation.  Mack is but one example from the federal investigation.  

On October 30, 2012, Shaamel Spencer was arrested during 'anti-looting' patrol in Atlantic City in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  Spencer, a three-time convicted felon on probation for weapons violations at the time, was found in possession of a stolen handgun.  He was released within days.  He was arrested on February 11th, 2013...and found to be in possession of a handgun.

Neither Mack, nor Spencer, nor any of the others involved in these incidents applied for a gun permit.  Convicted felons know they are convicted felons.  Background checks do not stop convicted felons from acquiring handguns.  Prosecuting convicted felons when they are found in possession of a gun with existing laws WILL stop convicted felons from acquiring guns.