Thread: Letters to sheriff's about silencer crime.

I got a letter back from the Spokane county sheriff's office. They do not keep a list of 9.41.250(c) violations. But they do have a murder trial in progress in which "a crude homemade noise suppressor was used in its commission".

The case number is 08-140280 if anyone is inerested in finding out more about it.

Ranb

Originally Posted by Ranb

I got a letter back from the Spokane county sheriff's office. They do not keep a list of 9.41.250(c) violations. But they do have a murder trial in progress in which "a crude homemade noise suppressor was used in its commission".

The case number is 08-140280 if anyone is inerested in finding out more about it.

I couldn't find the court record with that number, but I suspect this is the case.

Technically I would say it doesn't apply because the silencer was located in California and he took a plea in California. It looks like the indictment in Spokane County on this charge was dropped.

Killer's lover admits to weapons charges - Sirens & Gavels - Spokesman.com - June 4, 2010

In a plea agreement filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, Moore admits to possessing an unregistered rifle and a firearms silencer found in his Orange County, Calif., warehouse by Spokane police on April 27, 2009. Police found diagrams in the building “showing the design and construction of a firearm silencer,” according to the agreement.

Investigators say they still hope to refile murder charges against Moore for his alleged role in the Dec. 9, 2007, shooting death of Dale Robert Stark in Spokane. Shellye Stark is serving 50 years in prison after a jury convicted her of first-degree murder in March 2008.

from a blog at Update: Dale Stark murder *Brian Moore, Shellye Stark’s boyfriend, has been arrested for the murder of Dale Stark!!* « Bonnie’s Blog of Crime

Moore’s Sentencing is scheduled for August 30, 2010 3pm in Santa Ana, Central District Court.
He is facing 10 years for each count and there are 2 of them. Posession od an Unregistered Firearm and Silencer. The Silencer in Count 1 and the Short-Barreled Norinco Rifle in Count 2 are not registered to Moore. It is also known that Moore is “NOT authorized by ATF to possess, make or register any firearm sliencer, short-barreled rifle, or other “Firearm” that is defined in 26 U.S.C. 5845 (a) and subject to the NFA’s registration requirments.

Awesome work. I really want to be able to legally use a suppressor.

I only have one reply from a sheriff with their personal opinion on silencer use so far. The Skagit county sheriff has no objections.

Ranb

Edited to add; RCW 42.56.520 requires that public agencies respond within five days to a request for information. Unfortunately it does not require that the information be provided. One county has refused unless I submit a formal request, another wants $70/hour for a search.

Ryo, are you willing to help out?

Ranb

I received a letter from the Clallam County sheriff. He does not support a silencer use bill. He says in part, "I attribute the low number of criminal cases reporting use of firearms noise suppression to the effectiveness of the current law and the reduced availability of these devices."

He seems to think that changing the current law will allow increased availability, but it will do nothing of the sort as WA law does not limit possession of a silencer in any way. Anyone here live in Clallam County? It would be nice if he got a polite letter from someone in his jurisdiction letting him know he is in error.

Ranb

you guys should do SBRs along with it... if i lived in WA, i'd rather have an SBR than be able to use a silencer, if i had to make a choice.

good work, though. keep at it. stick it to those @#$%%^&&

I am going to work on SBR/SBS next. I think we have a better chance of getting the law amended to use silencers as they are already legal to own.

Ranb

Originally Posted by bkb0000

you guys should do SBRs along with it... if i lived in WA, i'd rather have an SBR than be able to use a silencer, if i had to make a choice.

good work, though. keep at it. stick it to those @#$%%^&&

Definitely that would be great to own a SBR, but it's definitely much easier to get the silencer through than the SBR. If I recall correctly, all we need is to add 3 little words to the document.

I got a call from the King County sheriff this morning. I had written to him and every other sheriff who responded to my request for silencer crime data. I wanted to know if they supported registered silencer use in WA. The King County sheriff says he does support their use. It was something else he said that was illuminating though.

I asked about the alleged "exemption from prosecution" granted by the WA AG that the police enjoyed. I told him that I wrote a letter to the AG asking if WA residents that owned registered silencers could expect the same exemption. The assistant AG wrote back to me saying there was no exemption from prosecution for anyone for silencer use in WA and the AG could not legally do so.

The sheriff said he thought they had such an arrangement but needed to ask the AG about it the next time they met. I asked the sheriff to let me know what the AG said; he said he would.

I was pleased to get the phone call. Does anyone here have anything they can add about the sheriff’s attitude towards silencer use or gun owners in general? Thanks.

Ranb

Originally Posted by Ranb

I got a call from the King County sheriff this morning. I had written to him and every other sheriff who responded to my request for silencer crime data. I wanted to know if they supported registered silencer use in WA. The King County sheriff says he does support their use. It was something else he said that was illuminating though.

I asked about the alleged "exemption from prosecution" granted by the WA AG that the police enjoyed. I told him that I wrote a letter to the AG asking if WA residents that owned registered silencers could expect the same exemption. The assistant AG wrote back to me saying there was no exemption from prosecution for anyone for silencer use in WA and the AG could not legally do so.

The sheriff said he thought they had such an arrangement but needed to ask the AG about it the next time they met. I asked the sheriff to let me know what the AG said; he said he would.

I was pleased to get the phone call. Does anyone here have anything they can add about the sheriff’s attitude towards silencer use or gun owners in general? Thanks.

Ranb

He ??? Its stiill Sue Rahr right? Reichert left office a few years ago.

What was the Cowlitz County response. I know my meeting with the old Cowlitz County didnt go well. He told me he wouldnt approve his own brother for a form 4 and if any of his deputies found me with residue in a silencer that I would be charged with a felony. That was just before I formed a trust.

I ask because I'm about to move back down there.

Originally Posted by wired

He ??? Its stiill Sue Rahr right? Reichert left office a few years ago.

Opps, I see that the area code I was called from was in Spokane. It must have been the Spokane County Sheriff. Thanks for the correction.

Ranb

Originally Posted by wired

What was the Cowlitz County response.

Cowlitz county responded to my request for silencer crime info, but the sheriff has not responded to letter asking his opinion.

Ranb

I am still getting letters or e-mail back from the sheriff's offices once in a while. The latest was from Pacific County with no silencer related crimes since 1992. 13 counties to go.

Ranb

I wrote additional letters to those sheriffs that are holding out on me. This time I requested info pursuant to RCW 9.56.001 etc. Maybe this will work better.

Ranb

More county Sheriffs are coughing up info after I sent a letter requesting data IAW the RCW. The letters to the sheriff's asking for the their personal opinions are not producing many results. I am not going to keep writing these letters as I have the WASCP and WACOPS associations saying they are taking a neutral stance on registered silencer use.

Ranb