Chitwood Asks for Gun Records in Serial Killer Probe
(Crimeshadows.com and CrimeShadows News has been covering the hunt for the Daytona Beach Serial Killer since January of 2008, when the body of Stacey Gage was found in a wooded area. Her murder was linked to the earlier murders of LaQuetta Gunther, Julie Green, and Iwana Patton.)
The staunch defenders of the Second Amendment are up in arms, so to speak, over Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood's request for gun records. Chitwood recently sent letters to gun shops in central Florida asking for their cooperation in the hunt for a serial killer. Chitwood wants to know who bought a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber between 2004 and 2005.
Marion Hammer, a lobbyist for the NRA, expressed his derision:
"Collecting lists of gun owners, and their names and addresses and phone numbers, and then turning around, showing up on their doorsteps, asking to see their guns, and questioning them, treating them like suspects when they've done nothing wrong, under a system where we are presumed innocent until proven guilty? I mean, this is some scary stuff going on."
I'm a gun owner myself, and I would have no problem allowing law enforcement knowledge of my gun ownership. However, I do think they would need reasonable cause before they took custody of those weapons for ballistics. Of course, a voluntary request would be reasonable, provided my refusal wouldn't make me a suspect. If it helps in the effort to catch a serial killer, I think it is only dutiful to cooperate. I can appreciate the concerns of those who disagree. Not all police departments and investigators are the same. Anyhow, that's my opinion.
Is Chitwood's request really all that scary? I'd like to hear from you.
For more information about the Daytona Beach Serial Killer, please visit http://daytona.crimeshadows.com.
Daytona Beach Serial Killer at CrimeShadows News
Related posts:
