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 abetting
Tron 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 crime
James Taylor Jr., 30, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon; dealing firearms without a license
Morgan Terrell, 25, of Rocky Mount;
receive/possess a sawed-off shotgun; possession of stolen firearm
Henry Purvis, 59, Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by felon
Johnny Darden, 51 of Pinetops;
possession of a firearm by a felon
Benjamin 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. government
Andrick Johnson, 35, of Rocky Mount;
Dealing firearms without a license; possession of a firearm by a felon
William Cherry, 24, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon; possession of a sawed-off shotgun
Mark Bishop, 37, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon; possession of a stolen firearm
Donald Harrison, 47, of Rocky Mount;
arson/attempted arson
Darryel Hill, 23, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon
Wendell 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 number
Jamie Bryant, 35, of Rocky Mount;
possession of a firearm by a felon
Jimmy Hunter, 36, of Rocky Mount
possession a firearm by a felon
Ozay 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 substance
James Woodley, 28, of Rocky Mount
possession of a firearm by a felon
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.
