YOUR VIEW: Prosecuting felons with handguns

Reader opinion By Reader opinion The Birmingham News
on January 01, 2013 at 4:34 PM, updated January 01, 2013 at 4:39 PM

Mr Kennedy's article in The Birmingham News on Sunday was right on target, but a better question is, "Why will the U.S. Attorney's Office not prosecute felons in possession of a handgun?"
As a former police officer who arrested countless felons and as a licensed armed citizen who has shot four armed robbers I can tell you what the U.S. Attorney tells me.
"These people have been charged and convicted in state courts for the robberies and received a sentence of twenty years." (To the layman I'll explain "twenty" years. Three plus two equals "twenty". Serve three get two years probation and fifteen "disappear".) Be sure to tell your kids and Grand kids this "new legal math." 

"The U.S. Attorney's Office feels as if the public would think that we were 'loading up' on the poor felon since he/she has already been sentenced to 'twenty' years. If we prosecute the weapons charge too, it wouldn't look nice to the ACLU, NAACP, et. al." Who gives a rats rear end if they are "loading up." Do you? I certainly don't, and I don't care about crowded prisons. It's prison not the Regency Hyatt. Don't like it, don't go! Now, isn't that easy? But, they say, would look like they were "loading up." 

As far as rehabilitation, one "Devoted and loving husband and father" (according to his obit)
of one 'gentleman' that I shot, had spent over 20 of his 42 years "in the system" being rehabilitated. The "system" failed. I accomplished in less than two seconds what the "system" with all their college degrees and millions and millions of dollars failed to do. And I did it at the cost of two, steel jacketed hollow points at the cost of around two bucks. I couldn't recover that loss so I charged it off on my income tax.
So call the U.S. Attorney and ask Holder why they do not prosecute felons with guns. Of all I've arrested, the U.S. Attorney prosecuted one! 
Do some research. You will be amazed at the number of felons with guns that are not prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney. And they're are the only ones that can. They want my guns! Come and get 'em. Over my dead body!
Tom Burtnett