Example where discretionary concealed handgun permits may have been given out as political favors
Documents filed Friday in the federal civil rights suit say FBI investigators have requested gun permit documents from the department, which include a permit Blanas issued to Sacramento businessman Edwin G. Gerber. Gerber gave $3,500 to Blanas' election campaign, election records show, and bought a vacation home with Blanas in Reno in the fall of 2005, according to property records . . . .
The well connected are already favored by discretionary permit systems, but this just exaggerates the problem.
Labels: ConcealedCarry, GunControl
posted by John Lott at 1:04 PM
1 Comments:
I was going to ask: Why is the fedgov involved in the local issuance of permits? But then I saw this...
"...federal civil rights suit..."
I wonder how commonplace are these type of lawsuits?
For me, though, this is yet another demonstration that weapon permits make a basic assumption about trust that is not realistic. Setting aside the likelihood that violent criminals are not going to abide by permit requirements, the last person I'd want to be making such judgements is a distant stranger.
What good is the opinion of a stranger by another stranger? (Especially when the latter stranger has been biased by his job, to confront the ugly side of society, and his experience with firearms may involve crooks trying to shoot him.)
Giving one man the power doesn't even approach fairness. Does California have an advocate for gun permits? I hope so.
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