thought this article would be good to share with the group.

This Strip `search' a victim of new law
By Dimitri Vassilaros
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, November 27, 2001

A first-round draft pick for the Cleveland Browns is the latest victim of victimless crime laws.

Gerard Warren of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, parked his Chevrolet Suburban in the Strip District. The police said that when they searched it on Nov. 20, they found a .45-caliber Glock - locked in the center console.

Unfortunately for Warren, his papers weren't in order. In fact, the records didn't exist, since he didn't have a license or permit to own the gun.

Warren was charged with a felony even though he wasn't threatening anybody. Do you really feel safer today?

Did this Strip search do anything other than remind you the government wants to strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights? This is yet another example of how they are being taken from you, [b]one arrest at a time. [/b]

As you've been reminded from time to time in this column, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the government cannot require criminals to get written permission to own arms, since that would violate their Fifth Amendment rights.

It's too bad Warren is a law-abiding citizen. Of course, if he should be convicted - and then wanted to carry a gun - he wouldn't be required to get government's approval.

Armed peaceful citizens are not a threat. Don't take my word for it. Just look outside your car window when you're driving on the interstates or country roads.

You may see little orange dots with guns tramping through the fields - more than 800,000 law-abiding hunters stalking deer. Hunting season started Monday in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

There probably are a lot of Pittsburgh Steelers fans who got a big kick out of Warren's troubles, especially since two other Browns were arrested in Ohio on drug charges (even though there was no connection between the incidents).

Why should Warren be arrested just because he was carrying a gun without getting the government's permission?

[b]Why should you beg some politician or bureaucrat for written permission to keep or bear arms? [/b]

Did Warren have to ask the government for written permission to exercise his First Amendment rights to have his freedom of speech or the right to assemble peacefully (or as peacefully as you can in the Strip at 2:30 a.m.)?

Did he have to ask the government for written permission to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures or from warrants without probable cause?

Did he have to ask the government for written permission to avoid being forced to testify against himself or to be deprived of life, liberty or property with due process?

Did he have to ask the government for written permission to a speedy trial, to be informed of the charges against him, to confront any witnesses, to have legal counsel, to have a jury of his peers, to have reasonable bail or not to be subjected to excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishment?

[b]Our Founding Fathers created the Bill of Rights to be a shield - not a sword. They wanted you to be protected from lawless government - not from law-abiding citizens [/b](even if they are Cleveland Browns).


Dimitri Vassilaros is the morning radio talk host on News Radio 1170 WWVA. His e-mail address is [email protected].

Damn, they're really cracking down on those atheletes! Remember that NY Jets player who got busted in NJ with the Bushmaster AR-15?

Am I alone in wondering where they got PC to search the truck?

Middleburg Heights is now a safer place for children to play after the heroics of one officer.z

Exactly! As the story is told, he PARKED his suburban. Next thing you know the Po-Po is searching it.
WHY?!?

And where was Mr. Warren during this?

And just because the gun 'MAY' have been in the console, means it 'should' be registered to the owner of the vehicle?? (Ok, that's prolly a REALLY loaded question!)

It just don't add up.

In FL, fortunately, this is not a great concern.

However, for those who live in gun-shy states it seems like a car mounted safe might be in order.(Not the key kind obviously.  They probably used his keys to open the locked compartment.)  For an ordinary traffic stop, cops don't generally rip the car apart.