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NRA: Don't let adoption agencies ask about guns in homes

Thu, 2009-11-05 18:29 - Niels

By Marc Caputo/St Petersburg Times
November 5, 2009

The Nation Rifle Association is pushing legislation to ban adoption agencies from asking potential parents if they have guns and ammunition in the home.

NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer said adoption agencies are violating gun owners' rights by asking about firearms in an adoption form. She said any request about gun ownership from an agency connected with government is tantamount to establishing a gun registry.

"Gun registration is illegal in Florida," Hammer said. "An adoption agency has no right to subvert the privacy rights of gun owners."

The issue flared up in Brevard County where a gun-owning couple took umbrage at a request from the Children's Home Society that they disclose if they had firearms before adopting a child.

The couple complained to a lawyer, who called Hammer. She said it would be easier to change the law than to sue.

A spokeswoman for the Children's Home Society, Liz Bruner, said the agency asks about guns because it was required to by the state Department of Children and Families.

"If they don't want us to ask about it, we won't," Bruner said. "We're trying to get an updated form to use, but there's a gray area over what (form) we can use."

Bruner said that because the state child-welfare system is privatized, Children's Home Society is a subcontractor for a subcontractor and, therefore, communication with the state agency can be challenging.

DCF officials say they're not sure about what form the society is using and plan to make sure that all subcontractors are using the same forms. Some of the newer adoption forms don't ask prospective parents if they own guns.

Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, said his bill will make it clear that asking about guns isn't allowed.

If the gun bill is as successful as others pushed by the NRA in the Legislature, it'll likely pass.

Some longtime NRA opponents, like Democratic Sen. Nan Rich, said she didn't like the idea of banning an agency from simply asking about gun ownership.

"Parents frequently ask if other parents have guns in the home before their kids play there, so why can't an adoption agency just ask?" Rich said.

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Comments

Fri, 2009-11-06 16:13 — Niels

gun's rights versus children's rights

To me it's a sad state of affairs when guns have more rights than children. Guns have their 2nd ammendment, which gives them the right to be beared, yet enactment of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child is too much to ask for.

The rights of the gun are effectively protected by the NRA, whose backers make a lot of money making weapons. Makers of children don't have such a powerful lobby-group protecting the rights of children. So when it comes to the rights of children to grow up in a safe environment, it gets compromised by the gun's right to fire at children, whether intentional or not.

The only thing I don't understand is why the NRA has never tried to invoke the 14th amendment to grant guns personhood, just like corporations have.

Sat, 2009-11-07 18:37 — Anonymous (not verified)

NRA gets their underwear in a bunch

This is such garbage! NRA is only trying to make a statement. They don't understand that the Home Study information is very important in the preparation for the parent(s) to have a safe and loving home.
Hell, they even ask about where you keep your medications, cleaners, and about your pets being vaccinated - so should they not ask those questions too?
While we are at it maybe the home study person doesn't need to visit your home and look for your smoke detectors? is your Spa covered?
Geez, this will never happen...NRA is trying to make the news.

Wed, 2009-12-23 10:56 — Niels

example

Maybe this is a good reason why questions about gun ownership should be asked in a home study.

Paterson offers gun locks, police clear parents in young boy’s fatal shooting by brother

December 22, 2009
BY MEREDITH MANDELL AND MARLENE NAANES
The Record

PATERSON — Mayor Joey Torres announced Tuesday the city would offer residents gun locks free-of-charge, pointedly referring to Sunday’s accidental shooting of 5-year-old Daron Mayes by his 6-year-old brother,.

“The tragedy that took place this past Sunday and that left a family grieving the death of a 5-year-old child may have been prevented if the handgun that was in the home had a trigger lock in place,” Torres said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday the parents of the boys were not responsible for the tragedy, because they had not known a relative, Jalik Jones, had allegedly stored the firearm in a bedroom of their Kearney Street home.

Jones, a convicted thief not allowed to own a firearm, has been charged in the death.

“We have no reason to believe that either of the parents are aware that a handgun was present inside the home,” said Passaic County Chief Assistant John Latorraca. “At this junction, there are no charges as to them.”

Lt. Don Giaquinto said the police department is currently researching the names of residents who applied for gun permits in the last five years and will be sending out letters to offer the gun owners the locks. The gun locks are being offered in conjunction with the city’s gun buyback program. Both programs operate on a “no questions asked” basis.

“The goal is to have back-to-back programs in place to get guns of the street and have people who have guns in their homes and businesses make those guns safe,” Giaquinto said.

Torres negotiated a deal with Pennsylvania-based Winner Industries to purchase the locks at a reduced price — $2.95 instead of $9.00, the statement said.

Giaquinto said that Daron and his brother, the 6-year-old shooter, resided at the home with their adopted mother, Margaret Mayes. The 23-year-old Jones, who is Mayes’ biological son, also lived there and had illegally purchased the handgun and kept it, loaded, in the bedroom he shared with Daron, according to authorities.

The specific model of the gun is a Hi-Point CF-380 semi-automatic handgun, Latoracca said.

Daron and his 6-year-old brother were watching television and playing in the bedroom when they found the gun and it went off, striking Daron in the back of the head about 8:20 p.m., police said. Daron was taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Jones was charged with reckless manslaughter and purchasing an illegal handgun in the death, and police and state records confirmed Tuesday Jones recently served a little more than four months in prison on a theft charge. The prison term stemmed from an October 24, 2007 arrest in an apparent armed robbery. Jones was arrested and charged with possession of a handgun, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and theft in the incident, Paterson police said.

It was unclear why Jones served time on the sole theft charge, and details of the incident were not immediately available. Police are checking why the charges were dropped.

Jones was released from prison in July, state records show. Jones upon release went to a Halfway House in Newark for several months before returning home in October, said Neal Buccino, a spokesman for the state parole board. Buccino said the parole board did not notify the Department of Children and Families of Jones’ return to the household where the adopted children were living. Under the state parole board’s agreement with DYFUS, the board only notifies the agency about an offender’s release if the person’s conviction is related to child abuse or a sex offense against a minor.

Jones remained in the Paterson police lock up Tuesday. His initial $200,000 bail has been revoked because, as a convicted felon, he is not supposed to possess a handgun.

The state’s Division of Youth and Family Services, following protocol when a violent incident occurs in a home, was conducting its own inquiry into the shooting, the prosecutor’s office said. Other children live in the home, but it is unclear how many.

A DYFS spokeswoman said she was prohibited from commenting on any specific or child unless it has been confirmed that a child has died due to child abuse and neglect by a caregiver.

Staff writer Leslie Brody contributed to this story.