Boston City Councilor Goes Off the Deep End

I've seen plenty of hair-brained gun control schemes come down the Pike, but this latest idea from the "mind" of Boston City Councilor, Rob Consalvo, reaches a never-before seen height of stupidity. I've heard of thinking "outside the box" before, but Consalvo's outside the orbit of Saturn with this one.

Consalvo to Smith & Wesson: It's time to track your guns

After Boston's bloodiest year in a decade, one city councilor has called on one of the largest manufacturers of guns in the country to install satellite-tracking technology in its weapons.

Please, tell me I didn't just read that.

District 5 City Councilor Rob Consalvo, who represents Roslindale and Hyde Park, recently wrote a letter to Springfield-based Smith & Wesson asking the chief executive if he would blend GPS technology with the company's newly manufactured guns.

Nope, I guess I did.

"There is an insatiable appetite for guns in urban neighborhoods," said Consalvo, who has also been pushing for a gun offender registry. "If we can stem that tide, if we can put a choke on that supply, we're going to reduce the amount of teenagers with guns in the city and less gun violence."

Consalvo mentioned Boston's adoption of GPS-enabled school buses and snow plows as the most recent examples of high-tech keeping tabs on the most routine things. Even cell phones have GPS technology embedded in them.

Apparently, he doesn't see the difference between publicly-funded municipal vehicles and privately-owned property. Now, were this bill aimed at installing GPS devices in the firearms issued to police officers, that would be a different story. But, I got a strong hunch that police firearms would be exempt from this fairyland fantasy plan of his.

The city councilor picked Smith & Wesson because it's a Massachusetts-based company.

"I'm calling on them to step up to the plate," he said. "They need to install some technology like GPS or Lojack or some tracking technology. I'm not an engineer, so I don't know what that is. So they'll be easily tracked once those weapons are stolen ... I think given the fact that Smith & Wesson is located in the state, they have a greater responsibility."

Here's a suggestion, you brainless, flaming sack of yak nuts - let's install satellite tracking devices in CRIMINALS. How many times do we read stories of violent scumbags being arrested in the City of Boston, only to find that they have - SURPRISE! - outstanding warrants against them at the time of their arrest?

Yesterday, in Jamaica Plain, a woman was savagely beaten within inches of her life until her assailant was stopped by some courageous citizens nearby. You think this was this dirtbag's first violent offense?

And that's only in cases where the police (or citizens) are successful in apprehending them. Do we need a discussion on the BPD arrest and prosecution rate for violent criminals in the city? Maybe if they had a satellite tracking device injected in their ass when they were last set free on bail, they could have been tracked by the authorities, and picked up within minutes of skipping out on bail.

But, NOOOOOOOOOOO!, that would violate these citizens' rights!

Everyone knows it's much easier to turn the thumbscrews on the law-abiding, gun-owning citizens. They're powerless to do anything about it. Any actions on their part to defend their rights could be interpreted as aggressive behavior and lead to them being deemed "unsuitable for licensing". A true win-win scenario for numbnuts like Consalvo here.

Whether the company itself would latch on to the idea of tracking its customers' guns is another story. A company spokesman didn't return a phone message by the Transcript's deadline.

In their defense, it's hard to dial the phone when you're doubled over, peeing your pants from laughing too hard.

About privacy concerns that gun owners might have, Consalvo said, "It's a piece of property. It's not on a person."

I honestly don't even know why I'm wasting my time responding to this moronic piece of crap...or his proposal.

In a Jan. 6 letter to Michael F. Golden, president and chief executive of Smith & Wesson, Consalvo wrote, "While I understand that illegal gun use is not the fault of your company or legitimate gun owners, I implore you to seriously consider this idea as another way to make our cities safer."

Translation: We got nothing. But, it's not like the idiots in our districts know any better. They'll fall for this bullshit - hook, line and sinker. It's "common sense".

A Boston Police Department spokesman wasn't specific about supporting the initiative or not.

"The Boston Police Department supports any type of gun control," said Officer Michael McCarthy.

If only they were so dedicated toward criminal control.

"We leave that to the lawmakers. We'll promote gun safety."

And more people than ever before actually want to move out of such a "progressive" paradise? Shocking.

UPDATE: The Boston Globe has more on this.

Councilor Rob Consalvo wants to put a tracking device into newly manufactured guns and have legal gun owners retrofit their firearms so owners and police can locate and retrieve stolen guns the same way police use a computer chip to locate stolen cars.

You mean you're not going to require the criminals to do the same to their guns? Shouldn't it be theirs we should be tracking here? Besides, I'm sure they'd all install these devices - if there was a law telling them to.

Consalvo acknowledged that he's a complete ass the cost of manufacturing guns with such a device could be high, but that it would be worth it.

My city councilor, ladies and gentlemen.