Former Judge Accused Of Firing Gun Inside West LA Home
Source: CBS Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) Police Thursday arrested a former judge who allegedly fired a weapon within his home in West Los Angeles.
Around 1:45 a.m., officers were sent to a condominium located in the 1900 block of Barrington Avenue for report of a call for help.
Upon their arrival, police located a man who was alone firing a weapon inside the home, which subsequently lead to a barricade situation, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
SWAT members were subsequently called to assist at the scene.
Read more: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/06/11/former-judge-accused-of-firing-gun-inside-west-la-home/
From what I found, this judge was appointed by California's Republican Governor Deukmejian in 1990, and was a big proponent of the original three strikes law (before it was amended by voters).
http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-17/opinion/op-47981_1_los-angeles
Sancho
(9,067 posts)This is my generic response to gun threads where people are shot and killed by the dumb or criminal possession of guns. For the record, I grew up in the South and on military bases. I was taught about firearms as a child, and I grew up hunting, was a member of the NRA, and I still own guns. In the 70s, I dropped out of the NRA because they become more radical and less interested in safety and training. Some personal experiences where people I know were involved in shootings caused me to realize that anyone could obtain and posses a gun no matter how illogical it was for them to have a gun. Also, easy access to more powerful guns, guns in the hands of children, and guns that werent secured are out of control in our society. As such, heres what I now think ought to be the requirements to possess a gun. Im not debating the legal language, I just think its the reasonable way to stop the shootings. Notice, none of this restricts the type of guns sold. This is aimed at the people who shoot others, because its clear that they should never have had a gun.
1.) Anyone in possession of a gun (whether they own it or not) should have a regularly renewed license. If you want to call it a permit, certificate, or something else that's fine.
2.) To get a license, you should have a background check, and be examined by a professional for emotional and mental stability appropriate for gun possession. It might be appropriate to require that examination to be accompanied by references from family, friends, employers, etc. This check is not to subject you to a mental health diagnosis, just check on your superficial and apparent gun-worthyness.
3.) To get the license, you should be required to take a safety course and pass a test appropriate to the type of gun you want to use.
4.) To get a license, you should be over 21. Under 21, you could only use a gun under direct supervision of a licensed person and after obtaining a learners license. Your license might be restricted if you have children or criminals or other unsafe people living in your home. (If you want to argue 18 or 25 or some other age, fine. 21 makes sense to me.)
5.) If you possess a gun, you would have to carry a liability insurance policy specifically for gun ownership - and likely you would have to provide proof of appropriate storage, security, and whatever statistical reasons that emerge that would drive the costs and ability to get insurance.
6.) You could not purchase a gun or ammunition without a license, and purchases would have a waiting period.
7.) If you possess a gun without a license, you go to jail, the gun is impounded, and a judge will have to let you go (just like a DUI).
8.) No one should carry an unsecured gun (except in a locked case, unloaded) when outside of home. Guns should be secure when transporting to a shooting event without demonstrating a special need. Their license should indicate training and special carry circumstances beyond recreational shooting (security guard, etc.). If you are carrying your gun while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you lose your gun and license.
9.) If you buy, sell, give away, or inherit a gun, your license information should be recorded.
10.) If you accidentally discharge your gun, commit a crime, get referred by a mental health professional, are served a restraining order, etc., you should lose your license and guns until reinstated by a serious relicensing process.
Most of you know that a license is no big deal. Besides a drivers license you need a license to fish, operate a boat, or many other activities. I realize these differ by state, but that is not a reason to let anyone without a bit of sense pack a semiautomatic weapon in public, on the roads, and in schools. I think we need to make it much harder for some people to have guns.
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)person who is probably the poster child for someone who would be allowed to carry a gun. A sitting judge.
It strikes me that in addition to the above, if we really intend to address this it will need a training component that starts a long time before adulthood, reducing a person's propensity to reach for a gun, or weapon, to augment their inadequacies or resolve their frustration.
Just about the exact opposite of the individualism we are teaching now.
too bad.
Sancho
(9,067 posts)that's another reason a renewable license might check on competence periodically.
People change.
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)a bad choice, and we can feel secure it will be administered and catch a sitting judge, who isn't going to just ignore all of us anyway. Doubt it tho.
I really do wish you luck, but I suspect that judge is just as rational as you are or I, and would pass any test we want to give him.
Perhaps we are pointing to the wrong ones as having the mental illness.
Sancho
(9,067 posts)you aren't examined by an MD, but it catches obvious vision problems.
If the judge was sitting in the condo shooting the walls, maybe he would not have passed a basic set of questions. Maybe asking for a reference may have gotten someone to say, "yea, since he retired he's been hearing voices". Who knows?
The idea isn't to do some perfect testing. The idea is to catch the obviously emotionally or mentally unstable people, those who clearly should not have possession of guns.
Some would slip through, but it would help. Right now, even if the judge had dementia or became suicidal, there's no examination of any kind.
One reason to require insurance is simple - insurance companies do lots of analysis to see what variable predict behaviors. That's another way besides a "test" to stop potential problems. A license would have multiple layers - a "test" is only one.
C Moon
(12,212 posts)Hepburn
(21,054 posts)She is now retired also -- she sat in Santa Monica Superior Court. She was a great judge -- now does mediation. Very pretty lady. Their divorce was a mess.
Yep, IMO, Bascue is nutty enough to shoot someone.
C Moon
(12,212 posts)olddots
(10,237 posts)this shit goes on 24 / 7 in lovely La La Land the public hears very little about it .
valerief
(53,235 posts)C Moon
(12,212 posts)we'll see what happensactually, we probably won't.