Hundreds of criminals were able to obtain concealed weapons permits in Florida because of loopholes, errors and miscommunication, a newspaper reported Sunday.The "loophole"?
You have to go to the original hysterical article this one is based on to find it.
None of the people the media is shrieking about are convicted felons.
It doesn't matter if they were accused.
It doesn't matter if they were arrested, or how many times.
It doesn't matter if they were charged.
If they have not been convicted, even if a judge elected to "withhold" conviction based on a plea arrangement, you cannot then turn around and withhold their rights. These "authorized journalists" are bewailing nothing less than our inability to punish people who have not been legally proven guilty of felonies. And until that happens, regardless of circumstances, regardless of pleas, our system affords them a presumption of innocence, and places the burden on the state to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If the government is not doing it's job, that's the part of the system you need to fix.
So the ABC headline "Fla. Gives Gun Permits to Felons" is a lie. That's right, a lie. Pleading guilty to a felony does not make you a felon. Being convicted of one does.
Even the original report admits, albeit it is buried deep in the story:
Convicted felons cannot get gun licenses under state and federal law.No duh. Anybody starting to feel a bit...manipulated here?
And you'll notice in all the wailing and teeth-gnashing there are no claims of any resulting increase in homicides.
This is an ongoing miniseries. I just checked, and the latest installment is here. Nothing has changed in my assessment. This is still "a tale told by [idiots], full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."