Yet another reason to get an electric car
Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
141–150 of 487 posts
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
Only thing that will help is serious prison sentences and the right to defend property with deadly force. Many areas of the country there is no consequences.
Property is not worth a life. Not even the life of the person damaging it. Property can be replaced, a life can not. Besides, there’s way too much margin for error in vigilante justice. That’s why we have trials, imperfect as even they may be. They’re certainly better than empowering everyone to be judge, jury, and executioner because they thought you might be committing a property crime.
Nonsense. Thievery will be greatly reduced when the consequences are doubt about your continued existence. Besides, if you continue to steal from people you are hurting them and their family. That has a price and that price should be up to your life.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
Property is not worth a life. Not even the life of the person damaging it. Property can be replaced, a life can not. Besides, there’s way too much margin for error in vigilante justice. That’s why we have trials, imperfect as even they may be. They’re certainly better than empowering everyone to be judge, jury, and executioner because they thought you might be committing a property crime.
It depends on the property. I have medication I need to live. If I don’t take it regularly daily, a clock starts ticking. When the time is up, I die. When I travel I treat my bags like my life. I recent had nasty run in with an airline that wanted me to check my bags. I refused to get on the plane. When I took the next flight, my checked baggage didn’t make the connection. I might have survived if I got to the ER fas…
Yeah, it definitely depends on the context. If someone stole my bag from my car they'd get a few ml of insulin which is practically worthless to them, but is absolutely necessary for me.
If you don't mind my asking, what medication do you take?
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m a gun-owning full pro-2A believer and I absolutely disagree with killing someone over stealing a catalytic converter. For fuck’s sake, prison or murder cannot be the only two options here.
What's being discussed here is not a revenge killing, you catch someone doing it you're probably not going to gun them down, you're more likely to detain, call police and press charges, or chase them off. But if they come at you with their hacksaw... I think the proper solution to this is that car manufacturers should be required to better secure these things. Putting a thousand dollars or more in such an easy to acc…
The parent comment said
> the right to defend property with deadly force.
Which is not self-defense. You’re conflating the two and it’s a poor argument for taking a life over an exhaust pipe with some minerals in it.
I’ve spent a lot of time under a car and I can tell you I don’t think the solution is bolting the catalytic converter down tighter.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
> They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful because they aren't sold and reused as is California just passed a law to this end, which is pretty straightforward and effectively turns the grey market into a black market. A black market will still exist, but it will be a lot harder for legitimate junkya…
> It basically mandates KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures for companies that buy or sell catalytic converters, and it makes buying or selling a catalytic converter without documentation that it was obtained legally a crime. This is worse than the original problem. When did we become so comfortable with the government mandating presentation of papers and tracking of private transactions? Effective, privacy-preservin…
> When did we become so comfortable with the government mandating presentation of papers and tracking of private transactions?
After Timothy McVeigh blew up a building with a truck full of agricultural supplies.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
I doubt it. Catalytic converters are stolen because they're valuable and easy to make off with . Car batteries are frickin giant, and if you try and take only a piece you get a giant fire instead of a valuable source of rare metals. They don't seem like a great thing to steal.
You are really discounting the ingenuity of criminals. If they can steal 4 tires with wheel locks off your car, they can steal your undercarriage battery.
It’s THOUSANDS of pounds. It’s not a trivial operation.
It may happen, but it will never be anywhere near as common as cat theft.
One is safe, trivial, fast, and pays a lot. The other is extremely difficult, possibly lethal, and can’t easily be melted down for profit like a cat.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It basically mandates KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures for companies that buy or sell catalytic converters, and it makes buying or selling a catalytic converter without documentation that it was obtained legally a crime. This is worse than the original problem. When did we become so comfortable with the government mandating presentation of papers and tracking of private transactions? Effective, privacy-preservin…
Yeah, it's WAY worse to have to check the provenance of an article for sale than to have your catalytic converter stolen.
Yes, it is.
The police can — clearly, as per this article — do their job without yet another intrusive privacy overreach being put permanently on the books.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It basically mandates KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures for companies that buy or sell catalytic converters, and it makes buying or selling a catalytic converter without documentation that it was obtained legally a crime. This is worse than the original problem. When did we become so comfortable with the government mandating presentation of papers and tracking of private transactions? Effective, privacy-preservin…
> When did we become so comfortable with the government mandating presentation of papers and tracking of private transactions? After Timothy McVeigh blew up a building with a truck full of agricultural supplies.
How well did that prevent 9/11?
The decrease in domestic terrorism is due to societal changes and better old-fashioned policing of home-grown extremist groups. We didn’t somehow make it impossible (or even difficult) to improvise large explosives.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
Only thing that will help is serious prison sentences and the right to defend property with deadly force. Many areas of the country there is no consequences.
I'm not killing anyone for screwing with my car, and I hope most folks feel the same way. Yes, it sucks. Yes, I'd be more than pissed. But I'm not going to murder another human for a property crime.
Self defense and defense of property is not murder. So many street trash shit on regular families just trying to get by precisely because of sympathy for dirtbags who shouldn't be drawing the same breath as normal people.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#150This is happening more and more frequently in my locale. Several of my friends and many of my neighbors have had their catalytic converters stolen. It's good to see something is done. Let's hope this steamrolls into a nationwide manhunt for these criminals. They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful b…
> They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful because they aren't sold and reused as is California just passed a law to this end, which is pretty straightforward and effectively turns the grey market into a black market. A black market will still exist, but it will be a lot harder for legitimate junkya…
Mexico -> New Mexico, right?