Originally Posted by
eesakiwi
Magic! I didn't know there was a name to this idea. I came up with it to get a way to stop more people smoking, ie, if you were born after, say 1990, you couldn't smoke or buy cigerettes or tobacco..
In ten years, nobody under the age of 32 would be a smoker.....
I think the result of this law would be that the current scrapmetal sellers would buy from other people & then they would sell to the scrapmetal dealers.
That'd result in a profit for the sellers, but it would also make them liable for any stolen scrap they had in their possesion..
If they got caught with stolen scrap they would loose the chance to sell to the scrapmetal dealers.
On the other hand, they could get the stolen metal & report it to the Police & keep their current statis. (I think its better to work with the law, than to try & work a way around it)
I think its sorta like moving the 'bar' down one layer & current scrappers use a looser arrangement of laws but are more accountable to the Law than before. (have more to loose)
At the same time the current scrapmetal sellers won't have more competition, which is probably driving the illegal scrapmetal market anyway.
Laws already exist against theft, tresspassing, vandalism , breaking and entering and receiving stolen property.
The yard that filed the suit requires a photo id, you have to register with them and get an account number. I think you have to give a finger or thumb print too. They have security cameras and since they have a lot of cash on hand - probably some you don't see. There is a computer record of every transaction.
There is nothing anonymous about it.
The crimes committed by scrap metal thieves are all already illegal. There are only so many places to sell stolen copper - it's not like stolen jewelry or electronics that could be sold on any street corner.
Crossindex the people with the drug, theft, trespassing etc. convictions with the yard's list of scrappers and watch them. That's what the police need to do. Imo.
Scrapette 
Bookmarks