http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arn-tellem/holstering-the-nba_b_421804.html

Holstering the NBA
Arn Tellem
Principal, Wasserman Media Group

"Guns don't kill people -- bullets do."

In 1968, that crack was the centerpiece of comedian Pat Paulsen's mock-presidential campaign. Today the line has new meaning in light of the gun drama surrounding Gilbert Arenas, the exiled point guard of the team formerly known as the Washington Bullets. This time around, nobody's laughing.

My own experience with Washington and bullets dates to the summer of 1974, when I worked in D.C. as an intern for Congressman Jerome Waldie, a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Mostly, I summarized testimony to help prepare him for the Watergate hearings and the vote on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon.

About a month into the program I accompanied another intern to Dulles Airport to meet a Haverford College classmate flying in from Iowa to start his own apprenticeship on Capitol Hill. On the walk back to our townhouse in northeast D.C., a few blocks from the Supreme Court, we were approached by three teenagers. When each teen brandished a revolver, the three of us froze. One youth pointed a gun at my head and demanded money. Staring down the barrel, I slowly reached into my pants pocket and carefully withdrew my wallet. As I handed it over, I hoped -- no, I prayed -- that the kid wouldn't pull the trigger.

The city's staggeringly high levels of gun violence that summer prompted laws that prohibited residents from, among other things, carrying guns, both openly and concealed. Though the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 was later overturned, the provision requiring gun registration remains intact, as does the District's assault weapon ban.

I was reminded of this by the ongoing crisis over Arenas, whose argument with a Washington Wizards teammate led to a display of handguns in the team's locker room at the Verizon Center. On December 21, Arenas reportedly brought four unloaded weapons for which he had no permit into the dressing room and put them on a chair with a note asking the teammate to "pick the gun you want." According to the Washington Post, the teammate then grabbed his own pistol, loaded it and chambered a bullet. Last week Arenas was suspended indefinitely without pay. He now faces a possible lifetime expulsion from the NBA and the forfeiture of his contract, which has four years and about $80 million remaining on it after this season.

Personally, I abhor guns and the posturing of the National Rifle Association. I'm normally a fierce advocate of player's rights, but when it comes to carrying firearms or bringing them to the workplace, this Dude cannot abide. I'm unsettled by the notion that athletes need guns for protection. If they're concerned about their safety, they should hire licensed security guards. Guns only increase the possibility of violence.

Arenas brought the wrath of the NBA upon himself. Though some details of his gun story are hazy, no one disputes that his actions and subsequent conduct were inappropriate, insensitive and downright reprehensible. Arenas has done a tremendous disservice to his teammates, fellow NBA players and the Wizards organization. The incident occurred in a pro basketball arena and violated the sanctity of the locker room.

So what is the appropriate penalty? Three years ago Stephen Jackson of the Indiana Pacers was suspended for seven games after he pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness, having discharged a firearm outside a nightclub. A year later Sebastian Telfair, then of the Boston Celtics, got a three-game suspension after copping a plea to criminal possession of a weapon -- after pulling him over for speeding, New York police searched his Range Rover and found a loaded handgun under the passenger seat.

In Arenas' case, lifelong banishment is too draconian. If he were playing up to his former All Star standards, no one would be calling for the termination of his contract. Arenas' behavior should not serve as cover for the Wizards to void a deal that they now regret. His punishment should be firm and severe, but not excessive, and certainly not open-ended. Currently, the NBA's ban on guns imposes no specific penalties, and past sanctions have proven to be inadequate deterrents. Last week Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets claimed that 75 percent of NBA players, approximately 270 total, own guns. If accurate, that figure -- or even half of it -- is truly horrifying.

The NBA has a zero-tolerance policy on firearms. The league's Collective Bargaining Agreement -- implemented in 2005 -- forbids guns at any NBA venue or event. If I were writing policy, I'd go even farther: Players could own guns for hunting or to defend their homes, but they would not be allowed to pack heat. Violators would draw substantial penalties. I realize that the right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Constitution, but in professional athletics, rights are sometimes limited in deference to a sport's well-being. This issue should be resolved now, while it's still Topic A. Why wait until the CBA expires in 2011? In this era of "teachable moments", there may never be a better time for the league and its players to demonstrate that toting guns is dangerous and reckless and has no place in our society.

Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was charged Thursday with felony gun possession, a crime that carries a maximum five years in jail and a fine, authorities said.

The charge was announced Thursday afternoon by the U.S. Attorney's office for the District.

Arenas's attorney and prosecutors had been negotiating a plea deal during the day and it was not immediately clear whether the filing of charges was a part of the deal. Court officials said they had been told to prepare to have Arenas in Superior Court on Friday.

The U.S. Attorney's office alleged that on Dec. 21, Arenas "did carry, openly and concealed on or about his person, in a place other than his dwelling place, place of business or on other land possessed by him, a pistol, without license issued pursuant to law."

The guns became an issue after Arenas and Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton got into an argument after a card game and Crittenton allegedly said he should shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired left knee, sources have said. Days later on Dec. 21, after a practice at Verizon Center, Arenas placed the guns on a chair next to Crittenton's locker with a note that said "pick one."

A grand jury began hearing testimony in the case on Jan. 5. But it was not immediately clear whether Thursday's charges came from the grand jury or directly from prosecutors.

Arenas's attorney, Kenneth L. Wainstein, could not immediately be located and prosecutors so far have not commented.

Also Thursday, D.C. and Arlington police searched Crittenton's home looking for the gun he reportedly used in the locker room confrontation with Arenas, according to sources familiar with the investigation and court papers.

Police did not find the gun at his Arlington home in the 7:15 a.m. search, Crittenton's lawyer and the court papers said.

Reached through e-mail, Crittenton's lawyer, Peter White, said he was not available to talk, but offered this statement:

"I can confirm that a search warrant was executed on Mr. Crittenton's apartment today, that Mr. Crittenton cooperated with the officers conducting the search, and that no evidence was found or seized by police."

djsunyc wrote:

Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was charged Thursday with felony gun possession, a crime that carries a maximum five years in jail and a fine, authorities said.

The charge was announced Thursday afternoon by the U.S. Attorney's office for the District.

Arenas's attorney and prosecutors had been negotiating a plea deal during the day and it was not immediately clear whether the filing of charges was a part of the deal. Court officials said they had been told to prepare to have Arenas in Superior Court on Friday.

The U.S. Attorney's office alleged that on Dec. 21, Arenas "did carry, openly and concealed on or about his person, in a place other than his dwelling place, place of business or on other land possessed by him, a pistol, without license issued pursuant to law."

The guns became an issue after Arenas and Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton got into an argument after a card game and Crittenton allegedly said he should shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired left knee, sources have said. Days later on Dec. 21, after a practice at Verizon Center, Arenas placed the guns on a chair next to Crittenton's locker with a note that said "pick one."

A grand jury began hearing testimony in the case on Jan. 5. But it was not immediately clear whether Thursday's charges came from the grand jury or directly from prosecutors.

Arenas's attorney, Kenneth L. Wainstein, could not immediately be located and prosecutors so far have not commented.

Also Thursday, D.C. and Arlington police searched Crittenton's home looking for the gun he reportedly used in the locker room confrontation with Arenas, according to sources familiar with the investigation and court papers.

Police did not find the gun at his Arlington home in the 7:15 a.m. search, Crittenton's lawyer and the court papers said.

Reached through e-mail, Crittenton's lawyer, Peter White, said he was not available to talk, but offered this statement:

"I can confirm that a search warrant was executed on Mr. Crittenton's apartment today, that Mr. Crittenton cooperated with the officers conducting the search, and that no evidence was found or seized by police."

That was quick. So they charge him with 1 felony which they will likely plea down to a misdemeanor with lots of probation. In any case no more guns of Arenas.

AnubisADL wrote:

TMS wrote:jailtime's a comin'

Not really. They always throw extra charges on then allow the defendant to plea to a lesser charge.

Arenas already has a misdeanor gun possession conviction on his record... this makes him a repeat offender... he'll see jailtime.

TheGame wrote:

jimimou wrote:if im plaxico, im pissed right now....

Yeah, Plax shoots his own self and gets 3 years. Arenas will probably get probation. I agree that Arenas should not go to jail if for no other reason that why make the people pay to house him in a jail cell. I don;t think Plax should have gotten jail time and if he did, it should have been less than a year.

Plaxico didn't plea bargain- that's what screwed him with the full sentence.

Crittenton's plea deal could affect the legal and professional interests of Arenas, who on Jan. 15 pleaded guilty to a felony for carrying an unlicensed pistol outside a home or business. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26. Arenas faces up to five years in prison, though prosecutors will reportedly ask that he not receive more than six months.

Crittenton's reported account of what happened on the team flight and in the Wizards' locker room will likely be shared with the court. It will not portray Arenas in a positive light. Arenas, according to the account, suggested that he and Crittenton resolve a card game argument by having Arenas either set Crittenton's vehicle ablaze or shoot Crittenton in the face. Two days later in the Wizards' locker room, Arenas allegedly positioned four guns in front of Crittenton's locker and left written instruction that Crittenton pick one of the guns.

Arenas maintains the incidents on the flight and in the locker room were part of a joke, though Crittenton's alleged reaction -- Crittenton said he felt genuinely threatened and only carried and pulled out his own gun because he feared for his life -- suggests at a minimum that it offended him or that he took Arenas' threats at face value. D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin, who will sentence Arenas, may regard Arenas' alleged behavior as so irresponsible that it warrants time behind bars.

Crittenton will also meet with NBA commissioner David Stern, who has suspended Arenas indefinitely. Crittenton's comments during the meeting could damage Arenas' chances for reinstatement if he portrays Arenas as a dangerous bully or aggressor. The Wizards may also find that Crittenton's comments lend justification for a termination of Arenas' contract under Clause 16 of the Uniform Player Contract, a topic I detailed in a previous column.

Arenas, however, will have opportunities to speak with Judge Morin, as well as with Stern and Wizards officials. Arenas will likely maintain that what took place was a joke that went array, that he never intended to hurt or legitimately threaten anyone, and that he is genuinely sorry for what happened. It will be interesting to see whether any witnesses, either from the flight or locker room, emerge, as they may be able to provide the situational context that would corroborate either Crittenton or Arenas.