Gun amnesty program proposed in Sullivan County

Gun incidents discussed at NAACP meeting

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — Assistant district attorney Jim Farrell made clear the policy of his office on gun incidents in Sullivan County. “There will be no plea bargains,” he said. A new state law passed in November 2006 tripled the penalty for carrying a loaded unlicensed handgun. The law now calls for a minimum of three-and-a-half years in state prison for anyone 16 years or older.

This came as a surprise to some community members who turned out to a meeting with law enforcement officials sponsored by the NAACP on January 25. Several audience members said that if teenagers knew the penalty, perhaps some of them would think twice about carrying a gun.

Everyone who spoke at the meeting, in the audience or on the panel, agreed that the gun problem in Sullivan County, specifically in Monticello, and to a lesser degree in Liberty and Fallsburg, has mushroomed over the past couple of years. Doug Solomon, Monticello chief of police, said it had grown so quickly that his department had been “blind-sided” by it. He said that from January 1, 2006 through September 30, 2006 his department responded to 64 calls related to gun activity, with 19 of the cases being confirmed that a gun was involved in the incident.

“We’ve been lucky so far,” he said. “There have been no deaths or injuries due to guns, but it’s only a matter or time.”

One of the main topics of conversation at the meeting was the possibility of a gun amnesty program whereby residents could turn in hand guns to law enforcement officials without fear of being prosecuted.

Farrell said that law enforcement officials in the county had just begun exploring the option. A gun amnesty program would likely involve participation by officials from the sheriff’s office, Monticello, Liberty and Fallsburg police departments and the district attorney’s office. Several audience members expressed skepticism that people would turn in guns in return for a promise of immunity from prosecution. They said other inducements were needed.

That brought the response from Elaine Williams, president of the Sullivan County chapter of the NAACP, who said she didn’t agree with rewarding people for turning in a gun that they shouldn’t possess in the first place.

Another audience member remarked that a reward would provide an incentive for people to steal guns from neighbors and turn them in.

However, other municipalities have used rewards in past gun amnesty programs.

In December 2006, officials in Suffolk County on Long Island initiated an amnesty program that paid $50 for handguns and rifles, and up to $300 for assault rifles. The money was provided in part by a $30,000 state grant. In 2000, Westchester County officials also offered to pay money for weapons turned in. They paid $50 for each handgun and $25 for each rifle or shotgun, with the money coming from assets seized from criminals.

There was disagreement at the meeting about whether a gun amnesty program would be effective in getting guns off the streets.

Solomon said most of the guns in the community were coming from out-of-state where laws regarding the sale of guns are very lax, and that there’s no practical way for police to prevent those guns from finding their way into the community.

Monticello Mayor Jim Barnicle said, however, if the program prevents the death or injury of just one person, it is worth the effort.