Chelan sheriff says gun laws can't stop killers

Maurice Clemmons, who gunned down four Lakewood police officers Nov. 29, was an evil man and no changes in gun laws are going to prevent murders like he committed.

That is a conclusion that Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum said he came to while serving on a panel of law enforcement officers looking into the shootings.

He was appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to a panel that was asked to determine if changes in state laws might have prevented the murders, or if any changes could prevent similar murders in the future.

"Our fear was that if a legislator has a knee-jerk reaction to this whole incident, he might come up with something that we would not be able to work with as a community," Harum said.

The panel met Dec. 29 in Olympia. Harum was the only law enforcement officer from North Central Washington on the eight-member panel.

Harum said he has heard rumors that some legislators want to ban assault weapons and others want to require that all guns be registered.

"Maurice Clemmons violated many firearms laws before he murdered the officers, so it seems rather dubious to argue additional laws might have prevented this tragedy," Harum said.

He noted that the gun Clemmons used in the murder was stolen, and that he stole a gun from a police officer during the shooting rampage.

"If people talk about registering every firearm in the state of Washington, that's going to put a tremendous burden on law enforcement, and won't do anything to solve the problem," Harum said, noting criminals will continue to get their weapons illegally.

Harum called Clemmons "a very evil person" and said, "You have to put total responsibility on him for what he did. ... Even if we had a state of the art system, it would not have prevented him from killing."

Maurice Clemmons was under supervision by the state Department of Corrections when authorities say he shot and killed four Lakewood officers at a coffee shop before the start of their shifts. Clemmons was shot and killed by police after a two-day manhunt.

His parole from Arkansas had been transferred to Washington state, where he was living at the time of the murders.

Harum said the members of the review panel agreed with him that any changes in the system would not have prevented the killings.

He summarized other panel observations:

- Since very few criminals engage in violent crime early on, all who go through the criminal justice system must be held accountable for minor violations.

- The state should require mental health screenings before accepting prisoners from out of state for community custody.

- Police chiefs and sheriffs must have more discretion in denying concealed pistol licenses to mentally ill people.

- Legislation should be considered to hold those who knowingly provide firearms illegally more accountable for their actions.

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Information from: The Wenatchee World, http://www.wenatcheeworld.com