Sunday, January 29, 2006

felons going hunting - great idea!

Felons, Parolees Getting Hunting Licenses
HELENA, Mont. - Hundreds of people barred from having guns because they are felons on parole or probation are still able to get hunting licenses in Montana with no questions asked, an Associated Press investigation found.

Montana may not be alone. While nearly all states ban felons from possessing guns, only a handful — including Rhode Island and Maine — keep them from receiving hunting permits, and just a few others — such as Illinois and Massachusetts — require hunters to show both a hunting license and a firearms license.
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The AP examination of Montana hunting and corrections records shows at least 660 felons on parole or probation received tags in the past year. The findings are based on a comparison of unique first, middle and last names, along with other identifiable information, that appeared in databases of both hunters and felons.
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With millions of hunters in the U.S. — nearly 270,000 in Montana alone —authorities in many states say it simply would be too difficult to check if felons are getting hunting tags.


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So, why is it that the only "right" that the conservative nutjobs want to make sure that eeryone has - no matter who - is the right to own a gun?!
It's OK for felons to have guns, but not ok for gays to marry or women to have the right to choose what to do with their own body?!
And the excuse is that it would be too much trouble?!? Why hasn't there been a procedure in place already?!