In a push to discourage criminals, the state in 2021 handed a legislation strengthening the penalty for stealing a gun from a misdemeanor to a Class E felony with a compulsory minimal sentence of six months in jail.
The legislation was a part of a legislative bundle that yr that made Tennessee a permitless carry state, and it was added to appease considerations that permitting individuals to hold handguns with no allow may result in extra crime.
Gov. Invoice Lee even included an additional $17 million within the state Basic Fund that fiscal yr for an anticipated soar in incarceration charges.
However whereas the trouble was meant to handle crime and stiffen penalties, attorneys who spoke with The Tennessean stated the brand new legislation truly makes the instances more durable to prosecute.
To start with, it’s a tricky crime to show.
…
Underneath the brand new penalty, protection attorneys have little bargaining room with the six month obligatory jail time and are much less prone to settle a case.Because of this, most felony gun theft expenses are dropped.
Tennessee stiffened the penalty for stealing a gun. Is the law working? (dnj.com)
However wait, this subsequent quote is simply lovely:
However the dropped expenses present how a legislation that was meant to convey change in actuality does little as soon as it hits the court docket system, stated David Raybin, a longtime native prison protection lawyer.
“The dynamic has modified as a result of now the sanction is so extreme on a compulsory minimal case that’s already very arduous to show,” he stated. “It’s the identical philosophy that if we make the penalties more durable it’s going to finish the crime, and that’s absurd.”
Obtained it? And now we return to the standard suspects in the identical article:
Earlier this yr, Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville, launched a invoice that may have made it a misdemeanor for gun house owners to improperly retailer weapons in a automobile or boat. As punishment, offenders could be required to enroll in a court-approved firearm security course — a decidedly lighter penalty in a state that largely helps gun possession.
…“It’s disappointing and irritating as a result of there needs to be penalties,” he stated. “However I’m resolute and able to push ahead with some frequent sense options for this epically dangerous downside in Tennessee.”
Legal guidelines don’t work for the criminals, so they’re ineffective, however legal guidelines penalizing gun house owners should be handed so we will resolve the issue. You must love the best way they ignore the contradiction.
And another time: Safe you effing weapons.
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