Felons can"™t get guns, can get hunting tags

[johnnyBgood]

Findings in Montana likely apply in most states, officials admit [/align]Monday, January 30, 2006[/align]Matt Gouras [/align]ASSOCIATED PRESS [/align]







HELENA, Mont. "” Hundreds of people barred from having guns because they are felons on parole or probation are able to obtain hunting licenses in Montana with no questions asked, an Associated Press investigation found.
Montana may not be alone. While nearly all states ban felons from possessing guns, only a handful "” including Rhode Island and Maine "” keep them from receiving hunting permits, and just a few others "” such as Illinois and Massachusetts "” require hunters to show both a hunting license and a firearms license.
Ohio does not specifically prohibit felons from obtaining hunting permits, said Jim Lehman, manager of the Division of Wildlife"™s Central Ohio District. The agency relies on the state law prohibiting felons from carrying guns. Felons are permitted to hunt during bow season, Lehman said.
The examination of Montana hunting and corrections records shows that at least 660 felons on parole or probation received tags in the past year. The findings are based on a comparison of unique first, middle and last names, along with other identifying information, that appeared in databases of both hunters and felons.
A state probation official said the findings likely will prompt the state to consider its own records search to see whether parolees are violating terms of their release.
"Obviously that"™s a big concern, and it makes me want to look into each of these cases," said Ron Alsbury, Montana"™s probation and parole bureau chief.
The licenses don"™t specifically require the use of firearms to hunt, and state officials note that most felons could legally hunt using other weapons, such as bows. Several people said they hunted legally with bows while on probation.
However, bows are hardly the weapon of choice for some of the game for which felons were issued tags, such as birds and bison.
Jason Beaudoin, of Frenchtown, on probation after being convicted in 2002 of assault with a deadly weapon, got a series of hunting tags last year but said he used only a bow and arrow.
"I know I can"™t own a firearm or be in possession of one. They made that very clear, and I agree with the policy," Beaudoin said.
"There are plenty of ways people can hunt even though they are barred from using conventional weapons," added Gary S. Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association. "My guess is that there are a lot of them that are being perfectly decent citizens."
The problem is, no one knows for certain.
Some states, including Montana, check for hunting violations as a routine part of a hunting license application, but they don"™t run spot checks to see whether felons are among those applying for licenses or whether they plan to use firearms.
"The result in Idaho is that you could theoretically be a convicted cannibal and still have a hunting license," said Ed Mitchell, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Boise. "But if you are a convicted cannibal, you cannot legally own a bent BB gun in the state of Idaho."
With millions of hunters in the U.S. "” nearly 270,000 in Montana alone "” authorities in many states say it simply would be too difficult to check whether felons are getting hunting tags.
The review found that roughly 8 percent of 8,732 people on parole or probation in Montana had obtained hunting licenses in the past year. Dispatch reporter Kevin Mayhood contributed to this story.

Should there be a law on this? What kinda felons are we talking about here? If they served all their time to society shouldn't they have all their rights reinstated to them as an american citizen or stay labeled as a felon?
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[The Rev]

Especially for the twenty year old guys busted for a few ounces of pot and a bag or two of potato chips... Heck he isn't a danger to anyone except a bag of Doritos and some Ding Dongs.
I deal with ex cons quite a bit, some have a really hard time getting back into society, and those that should be hung by the testicles are running loose molesting children again.

[RedAllison]

If you can't live by the rules of society then you shouldn't be able to enjoy the freedoms contained their-in.

I don't care what the case, ANY felon should be just that... a felon... for LIFE!!! That is part of the deterent isn't it? Becoming a felon should strike fear in a human too the extent that they know they have basically thrown their lives away. Never again should be able to hold a decent job, be entrusted nor should they be allowed firearms ownership/usage.

For someone under 30, "doing 20" means getting a second chance at some point down the road. Our judicial system shouldn't be like baseball it should be more like a rocket launch. You get ONE chance or it's your arse.

Just don't make a mistake of such a monumental proportions. I think the arguement of some about, "Aw let em make a mistake" is a mootpoint. Speeding and getting a ticket or courtdate should be a deterent too you. That is why they are a mis-demeanor. But being in possession of dope, committing violent crime or stealing a car is just not a decision rational people make in a normal state of mind.

As for hunting, hunting is a privilege, not a right. It should be something EASILY taken away from someone. I know I don't want to be in the woods with dopesmokers who are in possession of a firearm!!! [:@]
RA

[BenGarrett]

I didn't realize that this was news. There's a reason, whether it's justified or not, why convicted felons own guns, but there is no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to obtain a hunting license.

I personally think that the laws regarding firearm ownership and convicted felons should be amended. If we're truly going to give felonsa "second chance," then they should have all their rights restored to them. If we took the attitude that RedAllison takes, we might as well leave anyone convicted of a felon in jail for life.

There are some convicted felons that I don't think deserve certain rights even if they've served their time (murderers, rapists, etc.), but then those felons don't deserve to be back on the street anyway. So that should be a moot point.

[BenGarrett]

RedAllison, I don't think you realize just which crimes qualify as felonies and which don't.

A person doesn't have to commit a "violent" crime or steal a car to be a felon.

I can show you a fellow who was found with a pocket knife in his pocket in a school and is now a convicted felon, unable to legally own a gun or vote.

I can show you a fellow who found another man fooling around with his wife. When he confronted the man, the man started running his mouth and the guy lost his temper and "assaulted him." The man is now a convicted felon, unable to legally own a gun or vote.

If your wife (or girlfriend, etc.) begins to punch and hit you during a domestic argument and you push her away and she falls down and hits her head, if she is mad enough at you to pursue charges, you'll wind up a convicted felon, unable to legally own a gun or vote, and there are thousands of men who are in exactly that position right now.

In my opinion, the law of "if it's a felony, rights are revoked" should NOT apply. It should be considered case by case.

[North Texan]

I agree, Ben. If they have served their time, and we think they are ready to be let loose on society, they need their rights restored. If they haven't committed a crime with a gun, I see no reason to keep them from owning one. Once somebody is convicted, society makes it harder and harder for the criminal to ever become integrated into society. Americans are a very vindictive people.

I've known a couple of felons that did the crime and have done their time. Some of them had more honesty and integrity thanmost people I know.

[CamoCop]

this is only confirmed in FLORIDA, i do not know about any other state. In florida it is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. However, antique/replica muzzle loaders and any type of bow (cross bow, compound bow, long bow, recurve bow, etc.) are not considered as firearms per state statue.

so if you are a convicted felon and also a hunter....you can muzzle load and archery hunt, legally!

[North Texan]

If you only knew how hard it was to rob a 7/11 with a muzzleloader. The smoke chokes you and obscures your exit while setting offsmoke alarms.

[johnnyBgood]

WASHINGTON "” A new provision tucked into the Patriot Act bill now before Congress would allow authorities to haul demonstrators at any "special event of national significance" away to jail on felony charges if they are caught breaching a security perimeter.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,183147,00.html

People SHOULD be very afraid about the intentions of a ruler who would impose these limits to free speech in a so-called "democracy". Notice that they get to define what constitutes a "special event of national significance" and they get to decide whether YOU are "breaching a security perimeter. "
It can mean ANYTHING people. Anytime, anywhere. It's comming people before King George leaves the white house.Everything that was fought for is going down the toilet by a facsim government.

[Charlie P]

Ben, Talking sense to Red could result in a severe concussion.
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.From beating your head against the wall.