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I was called to Federal Jury Duty a few weeks ago and during questions from the judge a question about firearms came up. The judge asked who had a CHL. It was a bit funny at one point during the break a few of use CHL holder got together and talked.
I did notice non of the CHL people were picked :( for the case.

That seems to be rather invasive. Was the case in front the the jury to be firearms related or is that a common screening?

Before I got my CHL I was in a Federal Jury pool, and the only case I was called for (wasn't picked) there were no questions about firearms or CHLs.

fulano wrote:That seems to be rather invasive. Was the case in front the the jury to be firearms related or is that a common screening?

Yes, it does seem rather invasive. I'm sure it's illegal to lie about such things to the judge, but I wonder if they'd notice if a couple people were busy staring at that fascinating spot on the wall over there and just didn't hear the question?

A Texas CHL is indicative of a citizen who is generally law abiding, and expects their fellow citizens to be the same.

OBVIOUSLY traits detrimental to the cases of many a defense attorney.




An acquaintance of mine back in the day asked his Platoon Sergeant to speak on his behalf in a local court for a relatively minor offense he committed. Apparently he thought the Platoon Sergeant would proffer anything but the truth. He was wrong.

The Platoon Sergeants' words to the court: "He's guilty as (insert word commonly used for hades here) your honor."

Case closed.

Texas Dan Mosby wrote:

An acquaintance of mine back in the day asked his Platoon Sergeant to speak on his behalf in a local court for a relatively minor offense he committed. Apparently he thought the Platoon Sergeant would proffer anything but the truth. He was wrong.

The Platoon Sergeants' words to the court: "He's guilty as (insert word commonly used for hades here) your honor."

Case closed.

Yes - last time I had jury duty. During Voi Dire (sp?) the defense attorney asked how many of us were members of the NRA, owned guns and which of us had our CHLs.

Questions asked during the Voir Dire are usually to determine the personal backgrounds of the potential jurors and any conflicts or prejudices they may have against one party or another in the case. One of the questions frequently asked is if anyone is or has been a law enforcement officer. In criminal cases I am never picked. I don't know if they provided the charges and background of the case, but I will assume that the question was one that was very pertinent to the charges or individual(s) involved.

Texas Dan Mosby wrote:A Texas CHL is indicative of a citizen who is generally law abiding, and expects their fellow citizens to be the same.

OBVIOUSLY traits detrimental to the cases of many a defense attorney.
....

Having a CHL may also indicate you would be bias against a non-lawful citizen (defendant in some cases) and you probably would not fall for the "Emotional Sympathy" ploys that occur in court. Such as "The poor defendant dropped out of high school and could not find a job, thus he had not choice but to rob convenience stores to feed his poor starving mother"

I've been called to jury duty six times. First two times I was dismissed before voir dire (settlement was reached.) Third time was a personal injury lawsuit, and one side didn't like my answers - NOT firearms related - so I got tossed. Last three times was in my little suburb for traffic court - got picked twice. No firearms questions.

The case was a guy robbed a bank with a gun.

Git a Rope!

bugsbunny45 wrote:The case was a guy robbed a bank with a gun.

I think that the question would be appropriate to ask as most (probably all) people with a CHL would be prejudiced against someone using a gun in a crime.

And, it is slightly possible that the individual had (soon to be past tense I am sure) a CHL. There have been cases of people, who were previously squeaky clean, committing crimes like this. I have seen cases where the individuals were under duress from being out of a job and basically go off the deep end thinking it is the only way they can get money to cover bills and take care of their family.

Keith B wrote:

bugsbunny45 wrote:The case was a guy robbed a bank with a gun.

I think that the question would be appropriate to ask as most (probably all) people with a CHL would be prejudiced against someone using a gun in a crime.

And, it is slightly possible that the individual had (soon to be past tense I am sure) a CHL. There have been cases of people, who were previously squeaky clean, committing crimes like this. I have seen cases where the individuals were under duress from being out of a job and basically go off the deep end thinking it is the only way they can get money to cover bills and take care of their family.

What's kind of funny about that is the implication that anybody wouldn't be prejudiced against someone using a gun in a crime—CHL or not.

You're right about the latter scenario, but given the statistics for crimes committed by CHL holders in Texas..........is that really likely?

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Keith B wrote:

bugsbunny45 wrote:The case was a guy robbed a bank with a gun.

I think that the question would be appropriate to ask as most (probably all) people with a CHL would be prejudiced against someone using a gun in a crime.

And, it is slightly possible that the individual had (soon to be past tense I am sure) a CHL. There have been cases of people, who were previously squeaky clean, committing crimes like this. I have seen cases where the individuals were under duress from being out of a job and basically go off the deep end thinking it is the only way they can get money to cover bills and take care of their family.

What's kind of funny about that is the implication that anybody wouldn't be prejudiced against someone using a gun in a crime—CHL or not.

You're right about the latter scenario, but given the statistics for crimes committed by CHL holders in Texas..........is that really likely?

Remember, this is all just speculation. And, while not likely a CHL holder would do this, it is possible. There are murder and other crimes listed. And, maybe he had a CHL from antihero state. Who knows. I have seen people who would never do something even remotely like this do desperate things to try and keep up their standard of living, including selling drugs, stealing and forgery. I wouldn't put it past a totally clean person to do something like this if he thought there was no other way.

And, you would be surprised to find out how many people on jury's might be sympathetic to his overall plight and would overlook the fact he committed aggravated (armed) robbery vs. just robbery (no weapon involved.) A juror being a shooter or CHL holder would have a different perspective which might influence the way they vote.

Just saying, in Voir Dire, don't be surprised at ANY questions that come up, including some VERY personal ones. I have been seated on several panel selections that got pretty in-depth in trying to figure out your psyche and if you would be a good Juror or not for that particular case. And, I have always gotten bounced from any criminal case due to my previous LEO background since I would be prejudice toward the LEO and not totally impartial in the case. That is why a CHL holder IMO would not be totally impartial to a gun being used in a crime.