gdanaher wrote:I'm likely missing something here, but isn't it all about giving the Odessa police probable cause to stop a car full of yahoos driving down the street and giving the neighborhood grief? Let's see, the cops see some cars shot up with windows broken. They didn't see who dun it. But they spy that car of yahoos with the windows rolled down and their sling shots blowing in the wind. Now they can stop them, check the ball bearings against those just used to break glass, and maybe make a case. This is all about catching stupid kids with way too much time on their hands, and turning them into community service volunteers. I doubt it is going to go any farther than that....
I'm not trying to be argumentative, but using your scenario above, if there were broken windows and the cops saw slingshots blowing in the breeze they would have probable cause to make a stop before this law was put into place. Similarly, broken windows or not, if an officer on patrol sees a carload of yahoos driving around with windows down and barrels of unknown but firearm appearing weapons sticking out, I am pretty sure that a felony stop is in store. Same goes for if an officer makes a traffic stop and happens to observe something that appears to be a weapon (but turns out to be a bb or airsoft gun) lying on the back seat. It may not have been illegal, but most definitely would have been investigated for the sake of officer safety. Then, simple deduction after the fact could lead to a broken windows+bb gun in back seat+ multiple youts in a vehicle at night = pretty good clue who the suspects may be type of hypothesis.
I am not sure what need most law abiding citizens have of an airgun in the wee hours of the night, but it is not my position to judge or determine either. Whether they be attempting to neutralize a garbage stealing possum or conducting "tacticool" airsoft night operations, the otherwise law abiding are now unable to legally engage in their pursuit. Vandalism is already illegal. I am not sure about Odessa, but can probably guess there is some sort of curfew in place. I might be off base but I just don't see how this new law does anything to give officers an edge in finding the punks who are committing the crime, it only serves to restrict the masses and possibly become an after the fact type of charge, akin to felony firearm. How does that really serve anybody?
