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Old October 25, 2008, 11:32 AM   #32
divemedic
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Join Date: August 12, 2006
Posts: 1,310
Quote:
I don't see a "parallel" to felons losing their rights, however. A felon has a choice - don't do the crime. If he makes the choice to do the crime, he knows what he's risking in terms of society's sanctions. He loses his freedom for some period of time. He carries a felony record that limits his job choices. He can no longer vote or hold office. His 2A rights are limited. A person who values his rights, especially his voting rights, will decide the risk outweighs the rewards.
The problem is that we have lowered the bar for felony to the point where you can commit a felony without realizing it. The ATFE is a perfect example. There are people who have written the ATF to make sure a product is legal before they begin selling it, and the ATF has approved the item, only to have the ATF change their minds and prosecute.

In Texas, it is a felony to own more than 5 sex toys.

In Florida, "deviate sexual intercourse" is defined as: sexual conduct between persons not married to each other consisting of contact between the penis and the anus, the mouth and the penis, or the mouth and the vulva.

It is a felony to have "deviate sexual intercourse" with a minor in Florida, even if you believe the minor to be an adult. So a 25 year old who gets a little freaky with his 17 year old girlfriend, who by the way lied and says she is 18, is now a FELON.

The prohibition on owning a firearm if you were convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence is, IMO, an ex post facto law that changes the punishment for a crime long after the punishment for the crime has been served. A man convicted in 1970 for domestic violence cannot buy a gun because of a law passed nearly 25 years later.

ETA: That while you CAN petition to have your rights restored, Congress has "defunded" the program, so your petition goes into the old circular file because there are no available funds to grant the petition.
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