Panama, Guns, Guns, Guns

Story by Don Winner
More actions are coming. The Government Commission of the Legislative Assembly will address the issue of additional controls on firearms and ammunition in Panama, after DIAaDIA published a report on the lack of control that exists for the purchase and sale of these devices. This legislative initiative will seek to establish effective controls of firearms, ammunition and explosives in order to avoid the presence of these materials in inappropriate and volumes. The bill also proposes the creation of a legal regime that would contain clear and timely measures for the effective control of the sale and purchase of firearms and ammunition in Panama. At the same time, the proposal aims to curb the existence of armed people without qualifications, competence and integrity. This includes special limitations for the use of weapons on both natural and legal persons. Individuals would be limited to owning a maximum of three firearms per person. Legal entities (companies) could be authorized more depending on the types of services they provide. So far this year, there have been 288 murders in Panama by firearms. (Dia a Dia)
Editor's Comment: This is exactly the wrong thing to do. A person who commits a murder with a firearm is not going to be very concerned over the prospects of picking up an additional charge for being in possession of an illegal gun. Any time there is a rise in crime many citizens illogically blame the weapons, which is kind of like blaming the car for the accident. When criminals are getting more violent, I would argue that is exactly when it makes the most sense to loosen controls on firearms, to allow law abiding citizens greater and freer access to the ability to defend themselves. Obviously the police are not able to do it, so why not "enlist" law abiding citizens. Panama already has a structure requiring background checks and a psychological examination before a concealed carry permit is issued. I depart from the standard NRA attitude in that I also support a requirement for mandatory training and classes, as well as registration of all weapons and insurance. I would like the opportunity to prove to the Government of Panama that they could safely license me to carry a fully automatic assault rifle such as an AK-47, a sub machine gun such as an UZI, or some other such weaponry. The bad guys obtain these very same weapons on the black market and use them in the drug trafficking business, the killers and robbers get them as well, so why not give the law abiding citizens a fighting chance. I also support changes to sentencing laws for crimes committed using firearms, such as the "10-20-life" laws in Florida;



•10-20-LIFE


•10-20-LIFE has helped to drive down Florida's violent-gun crime rates by 30%. The state's 2004, "Index Crime" rate is now the lowest in 34 years, and the violent crime rate is the lowest in a quarter century.


•The 10-20-LIFE public information program continues. The Florida Department of Corrections, in conjunction with the Executive Office of the Governor, and the Florida Legislature continue to inform the public that Florida's tolerance for crime is over. Staff from the Department of Corrections has provided several community presentations on gun violence, and distributed materials about 10-20-LIFE.


•In 1998, criminals in Florida used guns to commit 31,643 violent felonies, including 13,937 armed robberies. That year, the mandatory punishment for using a gun to commit a violent felony was only three years in prison. During his campaign for Governor in 1998, Jeb Bush proposed the toughest gun-crime law in the nation: 10-20-LIFE. Under 10-20-LIFE, a felon who used a gun to commit a crime like armed robbery would face at least 10 years in state prison.


•The 1999 Florida Legislature passed sweeping legislation that provides for enhanced minimum mandatory prison terms for offenders who commit crimes with guns.


•Mandates a minimum 10 year prison term for certain felonies, or attempted felonies in which the offender possesses a firearm or destructive device


•Mandates a minimum 20 year prison term when the firearm is discharged


•Mandates a minimum 25 years to LIFE if someone is injured or killed


•Mandates a minimum 3 year prison term for possession of a firearm by a felon


•Mandates that the minimum prison term is to be served consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed.
That's the idea. If you use a gun to commit any kind of crime you are guaranteed ten years in prison, at least. If the firearm is discharged, make that 20 years. If someone is injured or killed, then it's 25 to life. I'm a huge fan of this kind of legislation. In addition, in response to a crime wave Florida greatly liberalized their gun laws, making it easy for law abiding citizens to obtain concealed carry permits. Violent crime dropped dramatically, almost overnight. And the fears of some that more guns would mean more crime turned out to be exactly the opposite of what actually happened - "What we can say with some confidence is that allowing more people to carry guns does not cause an increase in crime. In Florida, where 315,000 permits have been issued, there are only five known instances of violent gun crime by a person with a permit. This makes a permit-holding Floridian the cream of the crop of law-abiding citizens, 840 times less likely to commit a violent firearm crime than a randomly selected Floridian without a permit."