Where mandatory minimum sentences are going to take us...

[statman]

http://www.spectator.co.uk/alexmassie/5539446/is-this-the-most-enraging-story-of-the-year-perhaps.thtml

Sadly, we're not far behind the Brits...

[JohnnyLingo]

http://www.spectator.co.uk/alexmassi...-perhaps.thtml

Sadly, we're not far behind the Brits...

"At the police station, I took the gun out of the bag and placed it on the table so it was pointing towards the wall."

Mr Clarke was then arrested immediately for possession of a firearm at Reigate police station, and taken to the cells.

That is simply amazing. And the fact that this case went to court and he was convicted is incomprehensible.

[falafel]

I can almost see why this guy was arrested. He walked into a police station carrying a gun and cartridges. Sure he called ahead, but the article doesn't mention him telling the Police Chief that he was bringing a gun to the station to turn over. As far as they knew, he just showed up with a gun. If you ask me, this guy was an idiot about the situation.

The bigger problem here is that this case was chosen to be prosecuted. If everything the guy said is true, then this is a ridiculous case. My guess is that the prosecutors didn't buy his story 100%. There may be other evidence out there that was not mentioned in the story. There isn't even a quote from the police.

[UtahDan]

The bigger problem here is that this case was chosen to be prosecuted. If everything the guy said is true, then this is a ridiculous case. My guess is that the prosecutors didn't buy his story 100%. There may be other evidence out there that was not mentioned in the story. There isn't even a quote from the police.

Exactly. The issue here is prosecutorial discretion, but you are spot on that we don't know why they decided not to exercise it here. If they should have, and didn't, then shame on them.

[DU Ute]

I can almost see why this guy was arrested. He walked into a police station carrying a gun and cartridges. Sure he called ahead, but the article doesn't mention him telling the Police Chief that he was bringing a gun to the station to turn over. As far as they knew, he just showed up with a gun. If you ask me, this guy was an idiot about the situation.

The bigger problem here is that this case was chosen to be prosecuted. If everything the guy said is true, then this is a ridiculous case. My guess is that the prosecutors didn't buy his story 100%. There may be other evidence out there that was not mentioned in the story. There isn't even a quote from the police.

This was my thought, it seems like there is something missing from the article. He was convicted by a jury, and I can't blame cops for being a little testy when someone shows up at their station with a gun.