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This is insane. New Jersey does not understand the “shall not be infringed” part of the 2nd Amendment.

They also missed the part about searches and seizures without probable cause. Indeed, what possible cases could this dick cop have for searching the car of a 72 year old man after a routine traffic stop.

"He acquired a genuine antique flintlock pistol from that era, and had it unloaded and wrapped in a cloth in his glove compartment when he was pulled over for an alleged minor traffic violation. "

The article doesn't say when he bought the flintlock. My guess is that he was followed or his plate was placed on a radar, and the cop used some stupid excuse to stop him.

The article also does not state what the traffic violation was.

Indeed, what possible cases could this dick cop have for searching the car of a 72 year old man after a routine traffic stop.

I suspect the Van Gilder had a Firearm ID Card, and the police officer wanted to search his vehicle for this reason. The state has a list of all Firearm ID Card holders. One would have to assume that this list has been entered into the police databases. When a Firearm ID Card holder is stopped for a traffic infraction, it would be reasonable to assume that the FID pops up on the screen in the police cruiser when the driver's name is entered.

Since there are about a dozen ways to break the law when transporting a firearm in NJ (including keeping it in the glovebox), a police officer has a good chance of making an arrest if a person has a gun in the car. Tossing the vehicle of every FID holder is a good place to start.