The 2 scary parts of the article below;
""There is not a county in this state where there isn't a gang problem," said
Christie, who
noted that Asbury Park has a "significant" gang problem."
and
"A confidential informant identified only as "Mr. Smith" testified that while
underage, he or
she had bought ammunition 135 times over a three-year period for a Bloods gang
leader
in an unidentified New Jersey city."
another part that's really disturbing;
"Drug dealers, sex offenders and individuals convicted of aggravated assault
were among
the shoppers. The rounds of choice were the often-lethal hollow-point bullets
for 9 mm
pistols and .357-caliber Magnums, rounds often used in homicides, said Thomas
R.
Maltese, the commission's investigations administrator."
Why are hollow point bullets even available to the public for sale? There is no
reason at all
for this. Ridiculous.
BY NICHOLAS CLUNN
STAFF WRITER
TRENTON Criminal offenders bought handgun ammunition from nine stores in
Monmouth and Ocean counties, according to testimony heard Tuesday by a state
panel
investigating the link between bullet sales and street violence.
Seven of those stores were in Ocean County, which ranked first among the 19
counties
probed by the State Commission of Investigation, an independent watchdog of
state
government.
The commission used those figures to expose the lack of state laws regulating
ammunition sales and how some of those purchases end up in the guns of gang
members
who use violence to control some of New Jersey's most dangerous neighborhoods.
Most sales to criminal offenders in the Shore area and elsewhere were legal, as
vendors are
only required to write details about the sale into a log book and to make sure
that buyers
of handgun bullets are at least 21 years old.
"You can be a convicted criminal and buy as much as you want," said Lt. Col.
Frank E.
Rodgers, deputy superintendent of investigations for the State Police.
Rodgers was one of several high-ranking law enforcement officials who testified
before
the commission, which is preparing a report to be released early next year
about how the
state can better regulate ammunition sales.
The commission surveyed 60 of the 330 state-licensed retailers of ammunition
and found
that 43 had conducted sales with at least one criminal offender. The stores
were located in
all but two counties.
Drug dealers, sex offenders and individuals convicted of aggravated assault
were among
the shoppers. The rounds of choice were the often-lethal hollow-point bullets
for 9 mm
pistols and .357-caliber Magnums, rounds often used in homicides, said Thomas
R.
Maltese, the commission's investigations administrator.
The commission was able to find criminal offenders among shoppers by conducting
background checks on names listedin the log books kept by vendors.
Lee Seglem, commission spokesman, said the commission could not release the
names of
the stores that sold ammunition to criminal offenders, citing the possibility
of retaliation
against those businesses.
Investigators also used confidential informants with criminal records to
attempt to buy
bullets. They succeeded in 22 out of 25 attempts, Maltese said.
In one instance, Maltese said, a vendor joked with an informant about using the
bullets for
murder by asking, "Who are you going to kill with this box?"
Ammunition has also been traded on the street for heroin, cash and protection,
Maltese
said.
A confidential informant identified only as "Mr. Smith" testified that while
underage, he or
she had bought ammunition 135 times over a three-year period for a Bloods gang
leader
in an unidentified New Jersey city.
The commission placed the informant in a different room and distorted the
informant's
voice to protect the identity of the witness.
To stay low-profile, gangs often have nonmembers buy ammunition, testified U.S.
Attorney Christopher J. Christie. Called "straw purchasers," these buyers are
sometimes
college students looking to make quick money, he said.
"There is not a county in this state where there isn't a gang problem," said
Christie, who
noted that Asbury Park has a "significant" gang problem.
Commission investigators also showed how easy it was to buy ammunition over the
Internet. Maltese said he did not have to submit his date of birth or driver's
license
number when he used a credit card to order 1,200 hollow-point bullets through a
Web site
run by Cabela's, a national retailer of hunting gear.
"It's like buying a toaster or a coat over the Internet," he said.
Commissioners also heard testimony from law enforcement officials on how the
state
should regulate ammunition sales.
Some ideas came from three officers who work in a section of the Monmouth
County
Prosecutor's Office that deals with gang-related crime.
Brian Rubino, a captain with the prosecutor's office, said vendors would
confront
suspicious buyers more often if the state required regular reviews of purchase
records by
local law enforcement officers.
"I don't think they are in a position to turn them away," he said.
Rubino also said a sign notifying buyers about such reviews might intimidate
straw
purchasers and people who plan to use the rounds to commit a crime.
Other witnesses suggested making it illegal for criminal offenders to buy
ammunition,
requiring special identification cards for ammunition buyers, and equipping
vendors with
computers to log purchases.
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