Scooter update

Reading over at SayUncle, I learn that the ATF has charged Scooter with Felon in Possession.

Oops! Looks like Scooter screwed the pooch on this one. He's a felon, they found guns. Never mind!

There are good reasons for the laws that prohibit felons from possessing firearms. Yet, here in Louisiana, it isn't a lifetime disability. State law provides for felons to recover their gun rights. In my experience, the ATF folks have allowed the state law to decide the matter, having to do with some obscure sub-paragraphs in the Federal Law.

The way it works, is this: If you are convicted of a non-violent felony, then you get your gun rights back when you have completed your sentence. It comes in the form of a First-Offender pardon. Louisiana routinely pardons those souls who complete their sentence in good standing. If your felony was non-violent, the letter that accompanies the pardon tells you when your gun rights are restored.

If your felony is a violent one, you still get the pardon, but you don't get your gun-rights back. The letter that accompanies the pardon gives instructions on recovering your gun rights, but also tells you that you can't even apply for gun rights until 10 years after your sentence is complete. The basic law is here.

Louisiana realizes that people can make mistakes and recover from those mistakes, however we make sure enough time has elapsed that we can be reasonably sure that the person has been rehabilitated.