Legislative recap planned Saturday at Memorial Hall

The Voter Rights Network of Wyandotte County is planning a legislative recap event at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 25, at Memorial Hall, 600 N. 7th, Kansas City, Kansas.

This event is cosponsored by the League of Women Voters and Mainstream Coalition.

Several panelists are planning to participate. They include:

Redistricting, Sen. Dinah Sykes.
Voter rights, Mike McCormick, assistant executive director, ACLU.
Public education, Sen. Pat Pettey.
Sanctuary cities – Safe and Welcoming, Rep. Louis Ruiz; Safe and Welcoming Coalition member.

16 metro area residents indicted for drug trafficking conspiracy

Sixteen residents of Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas, and Independence, Missouri, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Ublester Molina, 26, Kevin O. Alarcon, 25, Rocky Orozco, 30, Salvador Valdivia, 40, Stephen Manning, 33, Carlos Ramos, 21, Joel Vargas, 30, Danzell Walker, 31, Gerald Knight, 43, Tatiana Ray, 29, and Ana Morales, 27, all of Kansas City, Missouri; Robert Manley Jr., 30, Bernard Kelly, 35, and Miranda Sanchez, 40, all of Kansas City, Kansas; Christian Love-Barker, 26, and Tyreece Dickerson, 34, both of Independence, Missouri; were charged in a 19-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, June 21.

That indictment was unsealed and made public June 23 following the arrests of most of the defendants in a metro-wide law enforcement operation Thursday.

The federal indictment alleges that 13 of the defendants (with the exceptions of Ray, Morales, and Sanchez) participated in a conspiracy to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine, as well as methamphetamine and fentanyl, from Jan. 1, 2019, to June 21, 2022. According to the indictment, Orozco, Manley, and Valdivia were leaders of the conspiracy.

Orozco, Manley, Valdivia, Ray, Morales, and Sanchez are also charged with participating in a money-laundering conspiracy from Oct. 1, 2015, to Sept. 9, 2020. They allegedly engaged in financial transactions that involved the proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

In addition to the conspiracies, various defendants are charged in seven separate counts related to drug trafficking and nine separate counts related to using their cell phones to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime.

Walker is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He allegedly was in possession of a Springfield .40-caliber handgun on Aug. 16, 2021.

The charges will be presented to a federal jury, which will determine guilt or innocence.
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This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Moeder, Patrick Edwards, and Mary Kate Butterfield. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

U.S. senators from Kansas vote against bipartisan federal gun safety legislation

Bill promotes red-flag laws, expansion of background checks

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — U.S. Sens. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran voted Thursday against gun safety reforms supported by two-thirds of the chamber’s members, including 15 Republicans and all Democrats.

The Kansas GOP lawmakers rejected the Gun Violence Prevention Bill crafted in wake of mass shootings in Texas and New York during May that left 21 dead in a Uvalde elementary school and 10 dead at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo.

The legislation passed 65-33 was scheduled for a vote Friday in the U.S. House, where it was expected to pass and move to President Joe Biden.
Sen. Marshall said he wouldn’t sacrifice the right of Kansans to bear arms for a “gun-grabbing scheme.” He predicted adoption of the measure would strip law-abiding people of Second Amendment rights.

Under the bill, federal grants would be provided to states for crisis intervention programs. Congressional aid would flow to states with red-flag laws, which enable law enforcement officers to petition a state court to temporary remove firearms from people thought to be danger to others or themselves.

“Red-flag laws not only violate the Second Amendment, but they are also begging to be abused by individuals who do not have a shred of respect for due process,” Sen. Marshall said. “I do not doubt that the corrupt political actors who have infiltrated the American legal system at various levels would happily oblige.”

The bill would strengthen federal penalties for gun trafficking. It would enhance background checks for people 18 to 21. It also would clarify who was considered a firearm seller for purposes of background checks on potential buyers. Another section would keep guns away from non-spouse dating partners convicted of abuse.

Instead, Sen. Marshall recommended Congress use COVID-19 relief funding to bolster security at schools and pay salaries of armed guards. In addition, he endorsed tax incentives to people completing firearm safety courses or properly storing weapons.

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, the 4th District Republican from Kansas, said he would vote against the Senate-passed bill. He said the legislation fell short of protecting students and inhibited the ability of citizens to use guns for personal protection.

“Our focus should be on keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, securing schools and enhancing mental health programs through enforcement of existing laws,” he said.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/24/u-s-senators-from-kansas-vote-against-bipartisan-federal-gun-safety-legislation/