Personally, I don’t find the idea of selling confiscated or turned-in guns to a Federal Firearms Licensed dealers (FFL) to be a significant issue.  Those previously used by law enforcement might be an exception I’d take.

A few families in our community that lost loved ones to gun violence this year may have a different take, I would guess. For them, I’m sure that the fewer guns on the streets, the better.

At the last meeting of the Village Board, a vote was taken on selling guns presently possessed by the Police Department. It didn’t involve very much debate. The vote was 4-3 in favor is approving the sale of these guns to an FFL dealer. The sale was estimated to net $3,000 (a pittance in relation to an approximately $30 million annual budget).

While some cities will sell these weapons, most will typically destroy them. Though I can see the rationale for both, it might be worthwhile to sell a particularly rare, collector-type gun that would bring a more significant amount. Sometimes valuable guns are unknowingly turned in to police, either through a gun buyback program, or by those who no longer want them and do not know how to otherwise dispose of them.

In a report prepared for the Village Board on this agenda item at the last meeting, Police Chief Neumann states “Some municipalities mandate the destruction of all firearms that come into their possession once any law enforcement use for them is completed. This policy is based on the belief that the community is safer when weapons are not recirculated, and that a weapon sold by the department could possibly be used in a future crime.” (emphasis added)

Based on that information from the Police Chief, it would would seem the community might be best served by destroying these weapons.

In light of that, Village President Bill Sarto vetoed the approval of the sale.

It upset some of those in “the backroom” however … and the following email was sent to members of the Board and some others close to Carpentersville politics, from someone who has posted regularly to this blog in support of Sigwalt and Co (one of a seeming trio of cronies):

Date: Sun, 02 Dec 2007 10:37:28 -0500
Subject: {no subject}

“This violates our mission statement to protect the public interest and welfare of the residents,” Sarto said. “It runs counter to the mission of law enforcement, and that would be to serve and protect the welfare of the community.”

???????MISSION STATEMENT???????

After writing a letter to the editor of the Courier in 2000 almost demanding that something be done about the illegal’s and now he claims that there are NONE, because nobody can provide numbers of the invisible invaders to our country. A-Hole!

Again, he makes a claim the seems to say he does not trust OUR police department. Our Police can’t decide things on it’s own, it has to have his direct involvement for it to be proper. I trust the police to do their duty and they know what it is. I don’t think Sourto understands his JOB. To do what the people want by a majority vote, but only what he thinks is good for his children!

GEEZ, what happened to letting the “FEDERAL GOVERNMENT” take care of things like that.

I thought Bill-Bob thought that anything outside of Village business has to be dealt with by the FED’s!

So, the answer is to throw the baby out with the dirty water?

Oft said statement, guns don’t kill people, people kill people!

Lizzy Borden used an axe, Jeffery Dalmer used his teeth. President Truman used a million ton device that killed instantly 160,000 and more over the years.

Talk about distortion! For cry-pete! These guys are desperate.

Folks may recall earlier email ramblings and rantings from another that were along the same lines, just on a different subject.

Anyway …

First, to specifically call Sarto an “A–hole”; That in itself is unbelievable that anyone would think it appropriate.

Next, are we still talking about illegal immigration? Sheesh … I thought everyone said they were done with that issue for now. Kinda shows you that it will be brought up again and again whenever it is convenient.

So, what about the real issue? Easy enough to correct all the errors here.

1. The “letter to the editor” was to the Daily Herald. It may have appeared in the Courier-News too, but there was recent referral to its appearance in the Herald.

2. The “letter to the editor” by Sarto in 2000 regarding illegal immigration was about federal enforcement.

3. Sarto never claimed there were “none”. Rather, he stated — rightly — there was no evidence provided that showed that illegal immigration was responsible for the problems that were being attributed to it in Carpentersville. That is a significant distinction that these folks like to distort.

4. Sarto also never said anything that even hinted that “he didn’t trust OUR police department.” On the contrary, he cited the words of a report by OUR Police Chief.

5. It is a part of governance of the Village that the issue on this sale be considered and decided by the Board. It is also the right of the Village President, as the chief executive officer of the Village, to veto measures that he deems to be not in the best interest of the Village and community.

6. Sarto has no children.

7. This issue is not “outside of Village business”, therefore such statements about the “FEDs” are just plain foolishness.

If you received an email such as the above, that called you derogatory names, do you think you would be cordial in your reply? (I think I probably would not reply at all … and would hit the delete button. If I were Sarto, I would do exactly that. Someone who writes such things doesn’t deserve the courtesy. If you expect a reply, you will write respectfully. In contrast, all my correspondence with the Board and Village officials have been respectful and courteous. One wonders why they will humor these jokers while ignoring the respectful requests of their constituents … well, in reality we saw why they won’t answer in “The Trouble with Carpentersville” series last week. )

This is the kind of crap that our elected officials have to deal with, folks. This is what these “winners” keep our elected officials’ time wrapped up with. For being a significant minority of the population, they apparently take up a majority of time and are often behind the drive for particular actions in the Village.