http://www.delawareonline.com/story/new ... /78428440/

"From 2012 to 2014, more than 11,700 felony weapon charges were filed in Delaware, and in most cases, the weapon was a gun. Yet, 71 percent of those charges disappeared before trials began.
As President Barack Obama, state officials and others press for tighter gun controls after mass shootings across the country, gun rights advocates say there is less need for more restrictions and more emphasis needed on prosecuting criminals who have been charged with weapons violations."

Goes on with comments and excuses from the state regarding the lack of prosecutions. I kind of get it, but 71%? WTF?!

More laws give the opportunity for selective enforcement.
No profit in busting gang bangers, can't even pay their fines.

yep, the NRA has been saying this for years....I just posted it to my Facebook page

Sounds like they need a law about prosecuting violations of the the law to me. Maybe an initiative?

A lot of States don't have the initiative process like we have here in WA. The citizens just have to settle for what their Legislature gives them.

What might be interesting is to be able to see how how many of the weapons charges were dropped in exchange for a guilty plea on an underlying charge that was serious in it's own right. It sure would be good to see ALL weapons charges exempted from plea deals and take away the discretion on sentencing from Judges. Might make some of the scumbags think twice if they knew they'd be automatically charged with carrying illegally and had to work their schedule around a 5 year prison term.

Exactly. It wouldn't take too many gangbangers getting nailed hard to potentially lose the love for riding with their 9. Weapons charges should not able to be part of plea bargains as you said. That won't happen because that would be "Common Sense" dirtbag reform.

We don't want to go down the road we did in the 80's with automatic sentencing. Judges need some discretion to administer the law. It would be nice to see plea deals limited. But a plea deal may be good for the prosecution if there isn't enough evidence for the serious charge.

Agreed. However, in this case it appears we are getting slap happy with charging folks and we are pleading too many down. Seems like an exercise in futility.

And how many were bullshit throwaway charges without merit?

overcrowded jails and overworked prosecutors..

without plea deals the system would grind to a halt

this is a good point, however weapons chargers are pretty cut and dry....except......I think in WA a weapon only adds time if used in the commission of a serious crime (felony and selected gross misdemeanors), perhaps when the charges were plea bargained down to lesser crimes the gun charges fell away?

So that said, we need ANY new laws Why?

A Felon in Possession charge is a charge that stands on it's own. Bargaining it away merely end-runs the intent of our gun laws.


As for Judge's discretion, that would be fine if they were using it to hand down sentences designed to alter behavior. Today many of the sentences for things like illegal firearm possession merely give the convicted enough time behind bars to get some good rest, good meals, clean up from their drug abuse, get their teeth fixed, medical conditions treated, and right back to the street to start over again.

As for prison "Overcrowding", ask 'Sheriff Joe' how to deal with that. It sure isn't with Cable TV, Air Conditioned housing, and guards who are disciplined when they enforce the rules on unwilling inmates. Behavior modification often requires some uncomfortable actions and we've turned our Correction Facilities into "Summer Camps".