In Minnesota DUI offenders can be mandated to carry what are referred to as “Whiskey Plates” on their cars. These license plates begin with letters reserved in Minnesota for just such a reason; W, X and Z. The idea is that any on duty officer, for any reason that should move him under the canopy of heaven, can pull over the driver of the car and subject him to a breathalyzer.
Perhaps we need to profile gun criminals. For example, a quick look at anecdotal evidence from a single bust in North Carolina:
The police department worked in concert with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to identify the men, all known felons. The men and their charges are as follows:
Lorenza Dickens, 28, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a stolen firearm, aid and abettingTron Davis, 31, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crimeJames Taylor Jr., 30, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon; dealing firearms without a licenseMorgan Terrell, 25, of Rocky Mount;
receive/possess a sawed-off shotgun; possession of stolen firearmHenry Purvis, 59, Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by felonJohnny Darden, 51 of Pinetops;
possession of a firearm by a felonBenjamin Mcpherson, 30, Rocky Mount;
dealing firearms without a license; receive/ship/transport of a firearm with an obliterated serial number; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; receive/possess a sawed-off shotgun; possession of a stolen firearm; conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. governmentAndrick Johnson, 35, of Rocky Mount;
Dealing firearms without a license; possession of a firearm by a felonWilliam Cherry, 24, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon; possession of a sawed-off shotgunMark Bishop, 37, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon; possession of a stolen firearmDonald Harrison, 47, of Rocky Mount;
arson/attempted arsonDarryel Hill, 23, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felonWendell Lloyd, 29, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon; possession of firearm during a drug trafficking crime; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; maintaining a place for a controlled substance; receive/ship/transport of a firearm with an obliterated serial numberJamie Bryant, 35, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felonJimmy Hunter, 36, of Rocky Mount
possession a firearm by a felonOzay Richardson, 41, of Rocky Mount
possession of a firearm by a felon; possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substanceJames Woodley, 28, of Rocky Mount
possession of a firearm by a felon
- 100% men
- 100% known felons
- 76% between the ages of 15 and 40
I’m just saying that maybe before we get all worked up about checking the backgrounds of people willing to submit to background checks, we should admit who commits crimes with guns and work to remove the guns from them.