Providence."
(HE)
NOW A TARGET 12 INVESTIGATORS
EXCLUSIVE:
BLUE CARD CONCERNS.
(HE)
TO BUY A HANDGUN IN RHODE ISLAND
YOU HAVE TO OBTAIN A BLUE
CARD.
WE'VE LEARNED THE STATE HAS *NO
WAY* TO KNOW---- IF THE
IDENTIFICATION IS AUTHENTIC
BECAUSE ALL RECORDS OF BLUE CARD
OWNERSHIP....
ARE DESTROYED.
(HE)
WE'RE TAKING A HARD LOOK AT BLUE
CARDS IN THE WAKE OF THE
WESTERLY SHOOTINGS.
THAT CASE HAS ONCE AGAIN RAISED
QUESTIONS ABOUT GUN ACCESS TO
PEOPLE WHO HAVE A DOCUMENTED
HISTORY OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR TIM WHITE
IS HERE NOW WITH THE DETAILS.
THIS INVESTIGATION BEGAN BECAUSE
WE WANTED TO KNOW IF THE
WESTERLY SHOOTING SUSPECT HAD A
BLUE CARD WHEN HE BOUGHT A
HANDGUN, AS REQUIRED BY LAW.
THAT'S WHEN WE WERE TOLD THE
STATE...
HAD NO IDEA.
RECORDS REVIEWED BY TARGET 12
SHOW NEARLY 35-HUNDRED BLUE
CARDS WERE ISSUED IN RHODE
ISLAND LAST YEAR
AND 30 DAYS AFTER THEY WERE
APPROVED,
THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WHICH
OVERSEES THE BLUE CARD PROGRAM
DESTROYED ALL DOCUMENTATION OF
WHO THE CARD WAS ISSUED TO.
White:
Someone could have a counterfeit
blue card the state has no way
to tell if it's counterfeit or
not.
Chief: That's correct.
White: Does that concern you?
Chief: Yes.
D-E-M CHIEF DEAN HOXSIE SAYS,
LIKE IN THE WESTERLY SHOOTING,
HIS OFFICE FREQUENTLY GETS CALLS
FROM POLICE DEPARTMENTS LOOKING
TO VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY OF
BLUE CARDS.
White:
Fairly frequently?
Chief: Yes.
White: What do you have to tell
them?
Chief:
We tell them that we don't.
There's no database for that
blue card.
WHY?
So our understanding is that a
number of years ago there was a
legal opinion through DEM legal
that we could not keep a
registry or a record of those
that took a blue card test.
HOXSIE SAYS THEY ARE GOING TO
REEXAMINE THAT DECISION TO
DETERMINE IF THEY CAN KEEP
RECORDS OF BLUE CARDS.
TARGET 12 ALSO DISCOVERED
ANOTHER ISSUE: BY LAW SOMEONE
GETS A BLUE CARD BY TAKING A TWO
HOUR SAFETY COURSE OR TAKE A
MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST AT A GUN
SHOP.
WE WANTED TO KNOW HOW MANY
PEOPLE OPTED TO TAKE THE SAFETY
COURSE IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS?
THE D-E-M SAYS, ZERO.
IN FACT THE D-E-M DOESN'T EVEN
HAVE A COURSE SET UP IF SOMEONE
OPTED TO TAKE ONE.
for as long as I have been
involved the handbook which
people are encouraged to study
is the course.
CATHERINE SPARKS -- ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR FOR NATURAL RESOURCES
AT DEM -- SAYS THEY *DO* HELP
GUN OWNERS WHO WANT TO LEARN
MORE AT THE GREAT SWAMP SHOOTING
RANGE IN WEST KINGSTON WHICH
OPENED IN 2018.
So I believe we go above and
beyond when we can to help
people who have an interest in
the shooting sports.
The Westerly incident certainly
showed where there may be a hole
in the system, which nobody
wants to see. the gun dealers
don't want to see no one wants
to see a tragic situation
happen.
THE IDEA OF A LIST THAT COULD
POSSIBLY IDENTIFY GUN OWNERS HAS
BEEN A MAJOR ISSUE WITH SECOND
AMENDMENT GROUPS. THE HEAD OF
THE RHODE ISLAND SECOND
AMENDMENT COALITION TELLS ME:
"We are absolutely opposed to a
list being created with regard
to blue cards because it does
tend to indicate who is going to
be a firearm owner. It violates
Rhode Island law, and it
violates federal law."
WITH THE TARGET 12 INVESTIGATORS
(MM)
NEW DETAILS NOW IN A TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS EXCLUSIVE:
BLUE CARD CONCERNS.
(HE)
TO BUY A HANDGUN IN RHODE ISLAND
YOU *FIRST* HAVE TO OBTAIN A
BLUE CARD.
(MM)
AS WE REPORTED AT FIVE:
THE STATE DESTROYS ALL RECORDS
OF WHO WAS ISSUED THE CARD, SO
THERE IS NO WAY TO CHECK IF ONE
IS AUTHENTIC.
(HE)
NEW AT SIX: WE EXAMINE SOME OF
THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE BLUE
CARD SYSTEM INCLUDING
REQUIRING A SAFETY COURSE BEFORE
SOMEONE CAN BUY A HANDGUN
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR TIM WHITE
IS HERE NOW WITH THE DETAILS.
TARGET 12 FOUND NEARLY
35-HUNDRED BLUE CARDS WERE
ISSUED IN RHODE ISLAND LAST
YEAR.
AND 30 DAYS AFTER THEY WERE
APPROVED, THE STATE DESTROYED
ALL DOCUMENTATION OF WHO THE
CARD WAS ISSUED TO.
IN THE WAKE OF THE WESTERLY
SHOOTING,
STATE OFFICIALS WERE UNABLE TO
TELL TARGET 12 IF THE SUSPECTED
SHOOTER HAD A VALID BLUE CARD,
BECAUSE OF A DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT POLICY
THAT PREVENTS THEM RETAINING
RECORDS.
There is no database for that
blue card.
D-E-M CHIEF DEAN HOXSIE SAYS THE
STATE IS EXPLORING THAT RULE,
AND MAY CONSIDER HOLDING ONTO
RECORDS.
We want to make sure that the
program is as legally safe and
straightforward as possible.
That that person legitimately
obtained a blue card through the
process that we have in place at
this time.
THE RHODE ISLAND SECOND
AMENDMENT COALITION STRONGLY
OPPOSES THE PLAN. THEY SAY IT
WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF LAWS
THE FORBID KEEPING A REGISTRY OF
FIREARM OWNERS.
I think because of Westerly and
because of incidents throughout
the country and the world it's
certainly caused DEM to revisit
its policy.
HOXSIE WAS PART OF THE
GOVERNOR'S WORKING GROUP FOR GUN
SAFETY, WHICH RELEASED THE
FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO
THE BLUE CARD SYSTEM IN 2018:
-MOVE THE ADMINISTRATION OF BLUE
CARDS FROM THE D-E-M TO THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE.
-HAVE BLUE CARDS EXPIRE AFTER 10
YEARS -- RIGHT NOW THEY'RE GOOD
FOR LIFE.
-AND REQUIRE BLUE CARD
APPLICANTS TO TAKE A SAFETY
COURSE.
RIGHT NOW ALL BLUE CARD OWNERS
TAKE A MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
OFTEN GIVEN AT A GUN SHOP.
I personally don't think that
it's an undue burden on anyone
that wants to obtain a blue card
to actually show some
proficiency with a firearm
RIGHT NOW STATE LAW GIVES BLUE
CARD APPLICANTS THE OPTION OF
TAKING THE TEST OR A SAFETY
COURSE. BUT CATHERINE SPARKS,
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR NATURAL
RESOURCES AT DEM SAYS NO ONE
HAS EVER DONE THAT.
"The course is really the
booklet. There is not a personal
course that people go and attend
like in a classroom."
FRANK SACCOCCIO, THE HEAD OF THE
STATES SECOND AMENDMENT
COALITION SAYS THEY ARE AGAINST
THE SAFETY COURSE PROPOSAL
BECAUSE THERE ALREADY IS A
PROFICIENCY TEST WITH THE
MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM.
HE ADDS ANY ADDITIONAL TEST
WOULD RAISE OTHER ISSUES LIKE IF
THE SCORES ARE RECORDED AND WHAT
THE GUIDELINES ARE.
WITH THE TARGET 12 INVESTIGATORS