Another Round of "Imagine If"...

Stretch sent this one, I think he was curious about one of the phrases used in the article.

Framingham Police Officer’s past affects gun license

FRAMINGHAM — Things could have gone much differently for Harry Wareham. When he was 15, Wareham admitted “I was very dumb and I made a mistake.”

Wareham committed a crime and was found to be delinquent by a juvenile court judge. But, instead of growing up to join a roster of repeat criminal offenders, Wareham changed his life around.

That one mistake nearly 30 years ago cost Lt. Wareham his MA LTC - even though the record was sealed; even though he turned his life 180º around; even though he's a police officer. He had his LTC revoked, which means he cannot own a firearm nor ammunition. He's being allowed to retain his position as a police officer by carrying "on the badge", meaning that he has to turn in his gun at the end of his shift.

Now, isn't that about the dumbest thing you've heard of this week?

When he's on the clock, he's okay to carry and possess a firearm, but when his shift ends he magically becomes unsafe again. This is the height of lunacy here. He's either to be trusted with a firearm or he isn't - whether he's a police officer should absolutely not come into the equation. Yet it does. If he had gone onto medical school, becoming a brilliant doctor who saves lives on a routine basis, he still would not be allowed to own or carry a gun - but because he's a cop, he's allowed to go outside the rules. Great precedent there.

And just to get it out of the way, I've been a pretty staunch supporter of full restoration of rights to those that have served their time. As I've said time and time again, if a criminal that has served their time and is released from incarceration cannot be trusted with a firearm, they have no business being out of jail. If they can't be trusted with a firearm, they shouldn't be trusted to own a chainsaw, drive a car, or buy kitchen knives. We place undue emphasis on the tool when we say "they can't own guns" - giving the firearm some sort of mystical properties as though they are the only route to mayhem.

Yes, Officer Wareham should have his rights restored. But so should everyone else that has served their time and presents no current danger to the general community. Being a police officer shouldn't grant extra-legal protection to the laws of the commonwealth - if my LTC were taken away and I were to appear in public openly carrying a firearm, I'd be in a heap of trouble. Yet Lt. Wareham will be able to do just that - completely legally - simply because he's a cop.

Don't get me wrong. I think it's idiotic that Lt. Wareham has lost his LTC. I think the law is ridiculous, should be repealed post haste, and he should have his full rights restored yesterday if not sooner. However, I also think it should apply to anyone that served their time and has lived a law-abiding life since. There shouldn't be special exemptions for one class of people that do not apply to others - that's pretty much the Orwellian "some animals are more equal than others" in action.

I hope Lt. Wareham does have his LTC restored - and I hope it paves the way for non-Only Ones to do the same.

That is all.