I was, and still am, a massive nerd. So one of the things I did in college was play pencil and paper role playing games with my buddies. One of our favorites was Paranoia, set in a dystopian future where a paranoid computer was constantly weeding out “communists” from the population that it believed were trying to overthrow society. You played as a “troubleshooter,” an elite member of society who attained that position by betraying your closest friends and reporting them as commies. It was a parody of Soviet life, where snitching on your neighbors was as common as standing in bread lines. I never thought we’d see that in America, but the state of New York appears to have adopted the totalitarian model as a way of life . . .
The following letter was posted by the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, and appears to be genuine:
At a time when all of us are finding ourselves doing more with less, a reminder about a resource available from New York State that can assist you in your efforts to solve cases, prevent crime and better serve and protect your communities.
The state has established a toll-free tip line – 1-855-GUNSNYS (1-855- 486-7697) to encourage residents to report illegal firearm possession. The tip line also allows for information to be submitted via text – individuals can text GUNTIP and their message to CRIMES (274637). While the state will provide the administrative support and fund the rewards, the investigation and validity of the tip will be up to each local department.
To spread the word about this free resource, New York State is planning a comprehensive campaign, including public service announcements that will air on television and radio stations across Upstate.
The tip line can provide your agencies with another avenue for receiving intelligence about crimes being committed in your jurisdictions. This initiative is designed for communities where no tip lines are in place and is not meant to replace existing gun tip lines.
Here’s how the tip line operates:
The New York State Police staff the tip line 24 hours a day. Upon receiving a call, troopers will solicit as much information as possible regarding a firearm tip, while allowing the individual to remain anonymous. The caller will be informed that this program is not the traditional gun buyback program but rather is focused on identifying individuals who are carrying an illegal firearm.
The State Police will in turn contact the appropriate police agency with the lead to initiate an investigation. Staff from the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) will follow up with that agency to determine the validity of the lead. Once the investigation is completed, the police agency would convey to DCJS the outcome of the investigation.
If the information leads to an arrest for the illegal possession of a firearm, the “tipster” will be awarded $500. DCJS staff will handle all of the financial transactions.
State Police staff will explain the program in its entirety upon notifying an agency that a lead has been generated for their jurisdiction. If you have any questions in the interim, please contact DCJS Deputy Commissioner Tony Perez in the Office of Public Safety at 518-485-7610.
Janine Kava
Director of Public Information
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
(518) 457-8906 – work
(518) 485-7715 – fax
The NY SAFE Act is completely, 100% unenforceable and they seem to know it. There’s just no way to find the magazines and “assault weapons” in the state, let alone register them all. Mandatory firearms registration has historically resulted in less than 30% of the targeted guns being reported, leaving the vast majority in unknown hands and outside the control of the government. And that drives the powers that be crazy.
Snitching is about the only way to make a registration scheme work. If you create an atmosphere of paranoia in which citizens believe that their own friends and neighbors may turn them in, they might be more likely to register their firearms. Of course, you’ll also have people abusing the system, ratting out people who don’t own guns just because they don’t like them. Which further terrorizes the population. Its an awful environment, and one I’d never want to live in.
It looks like the New York politicians are using Soviet Russia as a blueprint for how to run their state, turning the Staties into the KGB, and encouraging neighbors to narc on each other. In a country founded on the principles of “innocent until proven guilty” and individual privacy, that’s as disgusting as it gets.