[Fwd: Re: Guns etc]

[Jordan Hayes]

> From Jeffrey St. Clair <sitka at home.com> Thu Nov 18 15:54:20 1999
>
> I think the move to restrict and prohibit them is a greater
> danger. Look at all the sentencing enhancements associated with
> gun possession and look at who pays the price: it's used by
> prosecutors to keep young black males in prison for longer and
> longer periods; it's used for 3 strikes your out; etc. It's also
> used politically against groups and individuals the government
> doesn't like--could be us one day--ie,, Waco and Move (interesting
> how charges of "guns" and "child abuse" were used as pretext for
> both infernos).

That reminds me of the "It's got to be good, look who is against
it?" argument.  :-)

By the way, I caught the tail end of a story on NPR yesterday about
how the guy who drafted (?) California's "3 Strikes" law was now
trying to basically have it gutted and/or fixed.  There was a bit
of interview where he said that it had all kinds of unintended
consequences (like petty criminals being in jail for 25 years to
life, oops) and that the big mistake they made was not requiring
that the third strike be a "serious" crime.  The followup mentioned
that supporters were disapointed that "it didn't have the deterrent
effect predicted" ... "social science" at it's finest?

He's trying to get his changes on the ballot ...

/jordan