Brain357
Platinum Member
- Mar 30, 2013
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Comcealed carry abuse:
Darrail Smith may have been a public relations nightmare for gun-rights advocates, but he was also a bizarrely loyal friend.
Last August, the state of Wisconsin granted Smith a concealed-carry license. It had to: Wisconsin is a “shall issue” state, meaning that because the 23-year-old had no felony convictions, provided evidence of training, and paid $40, he was entitled to a 5-year license. But starting in October, Smith began showing up at crime scenes at the same time as shootings went down — though he never appeared to be committing them.
Police intercepted Darrail again six months later, with Carrington and another man who was arrested for fleeing and trying to throw away a bag of what cops said was heroin and cocaine. This time, Darrail was carrying three loaded guns, including one that had been reported stolen, which police confiscated. Not short on chutzpah, Darrail petitioned a judge to have his guns returned but was denied.
Shortly after, Darrail showed up at Carrington’s apartment as it was being searched. He claimed that the gun police had just found between Carrington’s bedspring and mattress — a .38-caliber pistol with a laser sight — was, in fact, his, though officers denied his request to take it home.
It was around this time that Milwaukee police suspected Smith was abusing his lawful access to firearms by acting as a “human holster” for a felonious friend. But it took prosecutors months to gather enough evidence to support his eventual charge: conspiracy to commit possession of a handgun by a felon. That’s because state law forbids police from sorting their records according to whether the parties present at an incident had concealed-carry licenses.
The Mystery of Milwaukee s Human Holster
Darrail Smith may have been a public relations nightmare for gun-rights advocates, but he was also a bizarrely loyal friend.
Last August, the state of Wisconsin granted Smith a concealed-carry license. It had to: Wisconsin is a “shall issue” state, meaning that because the 23-year-old had no felony convictions, provided evidence of training, and paid $40, he was entitled to a 5-year license. But starting in October, Smith began showing up at crime scenes at the same time as shootings went down — though he never appeared to be committing them.
Police intercepted Darrail again six months later, with Carrington and another man who was arrested for fleeing and trying to throw away a bag of what cops said was heroin and cocaine. This time, Darrail was carrying three loaded guns, including one that had been reported stolen, which police confiscated. Not short on chutzpah, Darrail petitioned a judge to have his guns returned but was denied.
Shortly after, Darrail showed up at Carrington’s apartment as it was being searched. He claimed that the gun police had just found between Carrington’s bedspring and mattress — a .38-caliber pistol with a laser sight — was, in fact, his, though officers denied his request to take it home.
It was around this time that Milwaukee police suspected Smith was abusing his lawful access to firearms by acting as a “human holster” for a felonious friend. But it took prosecutors months to gather enough evidence to support his eventual charge: conspiracy to commit possession of a handgun by a felon. That’s because state law forbids police from sorting their records according to whether the parties present at an incident had concealed-carry licenses.
The Mystery of Milwaukee s Human Holster
