If there is a name from recent history that is synonymous in most people’s minds with “evil,” it’s probably Jeffrey Epstein. What we know, definitively, that the man did was bad enough, but the allegations beyond those accounts are even more heinous. Literally nothing about the man seems to suggest even one redeeming characteristic.
He still didn’t kill himself, though. Just putting that out there.
Anyway, despite having died as a convicted felon already, there was something Epstein wanted, and he had the money to make it happen. It’s the kind of thing we’re told can’t take place, though, because gun control laws are so strong.
That’s right, he wanted guns…and he reportedly got them.
Anew wave of investigators raided Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious New Mexico ranch last month in connection with his alleged sex trafficking of hundreds of young women and girls. But a review of investigation files previously released by the Department of Justice indicates he and his staff may have committed gun crimes at his ranch and other properties as well.
The New York Times reported on March 9 that New Mexico state law enforcement officials and local county sheriff’s deputies searched Epstein’s property, which he called Zorro Ranch, as part of a new inquiry into his criminal operation. A review of the Epstein files released by the DOJ shows that Epstein maintained a potentially illegal level of control over dozens of firearms after he pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor in 2008, rendering him ineligible to possess firearms or even have effective control over them under federal law. That means that both he and his staff were likely breaking federal firearms laws in the decade-long lead-up to his second arrest for child sex trafficking in 2019.
The files raise the specter of a crime called “constructive possession,” a federal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).
“Constructive possession under federal law is a broad concept, and prosecutors often rely on it when they cannot show that a person physically handled a firearm,” Todd Spodek, an attorney with 18 years of criminal defense experience that includes handling such cases, told The Dispatch. “Instead, the focus is on whether the individual knew the firearm was present and had the ability to exercise control over it.”
“A state attorney would have no problem charging him under 922(g),” Matthew Larosiere, a gun lawyer who has advised on so-called constructive possession cases, told The Dispatch.
While legal questions about Epstein’s control over firearms pale in comparison to the allegations of sex trafficking and abuse, they also demonstrate that his potential crimes were broader than previously reported and may also implicate some of his longtime staff and associates who are still alive.
That last paragraph is important because of all the things Epstein is accused of doing, this is small potatoes. It’s not like he’s accused of murder or robbery or anything else that involved these firearms, for example, but let’s also remember that Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted felon at this time. He was rich, thought of himself as powerful, and a disgusting excuse for a human being, but there’s no indication he wanted guns around as part of his nefarious activities.
Just security, likely for his nefarious activities.
Let’s think about this for a moment, though. As a convicted felon, Epstein couldn’t have guns. He couldn’t have “constructive possession” of those firearms. And yet, what we’re learning is that he may well have done just that, and nothing about this is surprising.
Seriously, that’s the surprising part.
The truth is that most laws can be overcome if you’ve got enough money. How many stories are there about rich people hunting poor individuals for sport? While that’s a very extreme and fictional example, the reality is that the wealthy can get away with a lot of stuff you and I can’t, if for no other reason than they can hire better attorneys than we can.
In this case, it’s not difficult to picture Epstein, who knew there could be problems, simply throwing cash at the issue and figuring that was enough.
But the reality is that the wealthy aren’t the only ones who can do this. All you need is money and a willingness to skirt legality, and buying a gun is possible for just about any felon. Hell, look at the people arrested in our cities. They have numerous convictions, which not only tells us they don’t care about the law, but they’re not exactly master criminals, either. They get guns regularly. Why would anyone be shocked that Jeffrey Epstein may have found a rich man’s way to try to skirt the law?
The man was a disgusting piece of dung, and hanging was too good for him, but the idea that he may have had access to guns, even under the incredibly broad category of “constructive possession,” should be a wake-up call for every anti-gunner that you’re not going to legislate armed bad guys away.
Then again, I’m more and more convinced that, for many, that’s not the goal.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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