This website has highlighted the monumental stupidity of gun buyback programs (a.k.a. gun crime theater). We will continue to do so, wherever this “I know! Let’s get broken ass weapons off the street while flirting with the possibility of creating a black market for functional stolen weapons!” idea rears its taxpayer-bilking head (or something like that). Heres the trick to reducing gun crime: take guns away from criminals. Note to gun control advocates: it’s illegal for convicted criminals to possess firearms. All you have to do is yank their chain. Like this . . .
Authorities found a cache of weapons Friday, including shotguns and rifles, owned by a convicted sex offender after searching three homes across the Santa Clarita Valley.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials received an anonymous tip that Tyler Ferguson, 23, of Valencia, had guns and ammunition in his home, said Lt. Mark Hershey.
Ferguson pleaded no contest to one felony count of sexual penetration with a foreign object in February 2006, according to officials with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Deputies searched Ferguson’s home on the 24000 block of Masters Cup Way and found two bolt-action rifles, a 9mm pistol, a .45-caliber pistol, a .38-caliber pistol and several rounds of ammunition, Hershey said.
Tyler, who was sentenced to five years of probation, told investigators he inherited the guns from his grandparents, Hershey said.
But wait! There’s more!
He then told authorities that he had more weapons at a family member’s home in Green Valley.
At the home, authorities recovered four shotguns, three more pistols and a couple thousand rounds of ammunition, Hershey said.
After searching the Green Valley home, deputies were informed that Tyler had more weapons stashed at a home in Castaic . . .
While searching the Castaic home, Hershey said authorities found more ammunition and a Zastava military assault rifle manufactured in the former Yugoslavia.
OK, so this is one of those headline cases that everyone loves because Tyler is the ultimate pariah and lions, tigers and bears oh my the cops found a modern sporting home defense assault rifle. Hence the news report in the-signal.com. But Mr. Tyler’s return to prison on a weapons charge is not a solitary case. In many important ways, it’s not even representational. It’s better than that . . .
Funding for these types of parole searches comes from project D.I.S.A.R.M. [Developing Increased Safety through Arms Recovery and Management], which was created by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2000.
It was initiated by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who represents the SCV.
Since the program began, officers have seized about 6,500 guns, $300 million in drug money and made almost 13,000 arrests throughout Los Angeles County, said Tony Bell, Antonovich’s spokesman.
You want to reduce gun crime? This is the way to go.
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Given the choice between someone otherwise obeying their probation who gets busted because a relative drops dead and leaves them a house full of guns, and someone who goes out in public and shares barely veiled sadistic delight in seeing someone who inherited a legal problem being punished further for cooperating with police, I think I know which one I'd rather see locked in a cell.
For what it's worth, the only reason people like this hang onto the guns is because only executors, not beneficiaries, receive amnesty if they surrender guns to the police in an attempt to comply. There is no provision in the statutes to protect someone from being prosecuted for surrendering such arms as a beneficiary. If the executor fails to do so? Too bad, the law says, throw the beneficiary in jail. It's their problem, even if the estate wasn't their responsibility.
Strictly speaking, after being given such an inheritance, there is no recourse that is not arguably a crime. If the executor does not handle the problem for them, they're screwed. The person has _no options_ in their eyes… so they just hide.
They might want to surrender the weapons to police, but there is zero guarantee they wouldn't just have been thrown in jail sooner for their attempt to obey, and people like you would be out here slapping your knees, laughing, and cheering it on, because of course felons are the only people left that you get to enjoy being hateful of in polite company in today's society, so you get your laughs when you can, even if it's wrong.
Sure, a lot of guns are going to be destroyed now, but it would have been a lot less expensive to the state to offer amnesty for people turning them in themselves, and it would have gotten them destroyed even sooner.
The justice system is supposed to be about encouraging people to be responsible members of society. This law, as it is written, has a failure in this instance which actively discourages that responsibility with the same threat it uses to encourage it.
Its unfortunate that things like this have to happen to decent people. "@ _Mu" i completely agree this law is flawed, but its up to us the people to fight against these kind of flawed laws. As for Tyler his situation is unfortunate hes a harmless person and his grandfather should have disposed of these weapons, its sad that he has to suffer for some one Else's mistake. In regards to the article your information is wrong in regards to the signal, the Castiac home was actually a "law enforcement weapons disposal center" that location is were they store weapons to be destroyed, so as for the AK-47 they recovered, AKA the Zastava military assault rifle, it was handed over to law enforcement and now the are using it against Tyler. So what does that tell you about our justice system? these are the exact reasons why this law is flawed. This is Deep Throat bringing you the people the Facts.
As much as i agree on the major flaws of the law regarding firearms, you don't even have the whole story. All you did was gather what you wanted to hear from the media, twisting the truth then using it to discredit someone you know nothing about on the account that he was in possession of illegal weapons witch, by the way -was in fact- part of his inheritance, i fail to see the logic in arresting someone for the mistakes of their predecessors. You might as well have titled the above "DANGEROUS HERMIT RAPIST HAS A LOT OF GUNS." because that's about all people will get from it. You are entitled to your own opinion but honestly, when you make a statement that can potentially ruin the lives of others i suggest you get the bloody facts straight.
I have known Tyler for a number of years, he's as harmless as they get… shouldn't law enforcement be chasing after real criminals instead of wasting our money by tormenting people this way?
Hello everyone. I’d love to let you all know that the so called ‘offender’ was basically cleared of charges, apologized to by the judge and district attorney, and given his good name back. Most of you wouldn’t care, but I hope that Mr. Farago gets a chance to read this, takes a look at the case files, and reflects upon the actions he has taken to sully the name of a good man.
If Mr. Robert Farago truly “started the site to explore… ethics [and] morality…” then why didn’t he get the facts, read the case file evidence, and follow up maybe a year or so later. Also, its basic knowledge to cite facts similar to the way I’ve just done.
Oh, and Mr. Ferguson has, nor ever has had family members or a house (as stated in that ridiculously false article) in Green Valley.
You can also dye your hair a bright color, go on a shopping spree for new clothing, or invest in a new pair of shoes.
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