Retired NJ teacher faces 10 years in prison for an unloaded flintlock gun.

[lockedout]

Since when do they put tire irons back into cars again?
I've not seen one of those in a long time. They're rationalized away.. Much like other essentials from the past that are nowhere to be found anymore. lol

My car is 2 years old and has one. How else are you supposed to get the lug nuts off?

[Wildtree]

My car is 2 years old and has one. How else are you supposed to get the lug nuts off?

some little crippled crap piece.
I've thrown that away and bought the real deal

[Rhine101]

I am laughing way too hard from this thread.

But on a serious note. That sucks. That sucks hard. All the other bull aside, taking away someones pension is extreme. I wouldn't even take away a convicted murderers pension so long as he earned it legit. That just aint right man.

You want to create a criminal for real? Take away all that he worked for and see if he will just chill and accept that.

[Kellhound]

My car is 2 years old and has one. How else are you supposed to get the lug nuts off?

Triple A....

[lavafoxx]

Triple A....

why spend money to have somebody else do it, when you can do it for free?

[Laerrus]

it's still a weapon.

...that cannot be used reliably, even in self defense. If a criminal were going to kill him, he'd be dead long before he managed to unscrew the barrel on that ancient piece of machinery...

It's worth far more as a collectors item. He has every right to a pardon.

[Themius]

It still boils down to a stupid Sheriff..
They could have tried to solve that problem entirely different.
In fact it is just another case of overreach of a police force.
Here's how you can handle that just as well...
Send the guy a postcard/letter, or call him, to come down to the Sheriff's office. Have him come down and cooperate together on the issue. Lecture the man about the law, and how he technically broke it.... Then let him walk.
Next issue some note to the legislation that there's a flaw in the law that appears to be in need of an adjustment.

Bam..... Problem solved.

It would save time and money that way. This really isn't a case of over reaching police though. In this instance we just happen to have a law that says you must have a permit even if it's an antique.

[jugzilla]

It would save time and money that way. This really isn't a case of over reaching police though. In this instance we just happen to have a law that says you must have a permit even if it's an antique.

What happened to prosecutorial discretion? Police have that. The police who pulled him over exersized that discretion. Their bosses chose to make a stink about it.

This is akin to getting a warning for speeding, and then the next day having the cops show up at your house with a speeding ticket saying they changed their minds. Are some people really so anti-gun that they are willing to destroy a teacher's life for illicit flintlock ownership? Clearly the answer is yes.

[Themius]

What happened to prosecutorial discretion? Police have that. The police who pulled him over exersized that discretion. Their bosses chose to make a stink about it.

This is akin to getting a warning for speeding, and then the next day having the cops show up at your house with a speeding ticket saying they changed their minds. Are some people really so anti-gun that they are willing to destroy a teacher's life for illicit flintlock ownership? Clearly the answer is yes.

Wouldn't the blame at the end of the day end up on the prosecutor?

[Korgoth]

This is exactly the type of firearm the founding fathers wrote the 2nd Amendment for, as such I find this action highly unconstitutional and the law should be struck down immediately.

[jugzilla]

Wouldn't the blame at the end of the day end up on the prosecutor?

How would the prosecutor even know if the police hadn't made an arrest? It's not like prosecutors scan police bands looking for crimes the street cops have missed.

[Dismack]

I've never been to New Jersey and don't plan on ever going, but their gun laws seem to indicate that most people there are brain dead idiots who elect even more brain dead idiots.

This explains exactly why we have Chris Christy as our governor.

[fengosa]

This is pretty much a non-story. Charges will be dropped once the lawyers actually talk face to face. It's just a rile up the pro gun base headline from fox.

[Themius]

How would the prosecutor even know if the police hadn't made an arrest? It's not like prosecutors scan police bands looking for crimes the street cops have missed.

And? It's not the police who are very involved after they've arrested someone.

[Powerogue]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/02/18...man-in-prison/

NJ may also take away his pension that he earned.
Very disturbing, especially since pre 1900 guns are not considered firearms by the US government.

Though I have to ask why not? Can't they still be used to shoot people?

[Lagmonster]

Oh come now, trebuchets are not that hard to make.

Yeah, really not that hard to make lol. Back in high school, my best friends and I built one for use in a pickup truck bed. Used it to fling those big industrial toilet paper rolls into trees. We played way to much of Age of Empires II...lol...

(on a side note, it was only used for one night, for a senior prank we had for toilet papering one of our home room teachers yards. We didn't normally go out doing that as a regular thing lol)

[Kellhound]

Yeah, really not that hard to make lol. Back in high school, my best friends and I built one for use in a pickup truck bed. Used it to fling those big industrial toilet paper rolls into trees. We played way to much of Age of Empires II...lol...

(on a side note, it was only used for one night, for a senior prank we had for toilet papering one of our home room teachers yards. We didn't normally go out doing that as a regular thing lol)

Sure sure....

[crakerjack]

it's still a weapon.

Well by that logo, a knife is a weapon, a car is a weapon, a pencil is a weapon, a shoe is a weapon. Should the police arrest/charge everyone who possess these things? Hell, I could gouge out someone's eye with a piece of paper.