Dad who pluggedprowler spurns deal

New York Daily News ^ | 4/08/03 | NANCIE L. KATZ

[kattracks]

A Navy veteran who shot an intruder in his toddler's bedroom decided against pleading guilty to a gun charge yesterday. Ronald Dixon rejected a deal that would have spared him from having to do jail time because he does not want a criminal record, his new attorney said.

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes initially charged Dixon, 27, with possessing an illegal weapon - an unregistered pistol - after he shot a career burglar he found prowling in his Canarsie home on Dec. 14.

Last month, Hynes reduced the charges to misdemeanor attempted weapon possession, which carries a maximum 90-day jail term. Hynes said he would only ask Dixon to serve four weekends in jail in exchange for a guilty plea.

Criminal Court Judge Alvin Yearwood changed that deal to a year's probation.

"After the people reduced the charges, this was put on for possible disposition," Yearwood told Dixon and his new attorney, Joseph Mure, yesterday. But the Jamaican immigrant declined the deal and left the courtroom without comment yesterday.

"That means he would have a criminal conviction, and that is a big concern to us," Mure said afterward.

Dixon gained widespread sympathy after he was charged with a crime. In a tearful interview, Dixon told the Daily News he could not afford to spend any time in jail because he was working seven days a week to support his family and pay his mortgage.

Originally published on April 8, 2003

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Jack Black]

Well he broke the law. We need to make an example of him. People can't be allowed to protect themselves or we would have anarchy. That's what the police are for. The burgler was just tying to make a living, and now he's dead. There's no proof he would have harmed the child. Why didn't he try to flee? (/stupid liberal comments)

Seriously though injustice *IS* the law of the land. One hopes for Jury Nullification in this case.

[The Red Zone]

Under today's judicial tyranny he and his attorneys will never be allowed to tell the jury what he had the gun for.

[meyer]

Seriously though injustice *IS* the law of the land. One hopes for Jury Nullification in this case.

I'd rather hope for the elimination of the licensing law on constitutional grounds, but that isn't likely - yet. Perhaps some day we will again have a supreme court that actually respects the constitution verbatim.

[JohnGaltSpeaking]

Sounds like the DA has an ego problem. Someone other than he was able to make Brooklyn a little safer by removing a career criminal and he feels threatened. What a pathetic individual.

[stuartcr]

Do pistols have to be registered in Brroklyn? In NY state?

[American Soldier]

It would not break my heart if somebody smashed up this DA's car. For God's sake I cannot believe the nerve of this guy. I didn't think anything could make me hate attorneys more than I already did.

[mewzilla]

You're kidding, right? Actually it's easier for a crook to get a gun in NYS than it is a law abiding citizen.

[mattdono]

Sounds like the DA has an ego problem.

No, the DA is probably a closet lefty (and other?), who is just putting their time in to learn the system, so that they can exploit it.

Funny...no wonder people don't like lawyers!

[mattdono]

Maybe the DA might happen to fall down a set of stairs? Hey, those things could happen...

[Ipinawetsuit]

Well he DID break the law, apparently - but the charge reflects it. I don't think anyone is blaming him for shooting the burglar (good riddance), and I think I would have done the same thing...

But he had illegal possession of a handgun. That is the true basis of the charge as I see it. If he had used a registered hand gun, this argument would likely be academic.

I'm all for the right to bear arms, but I also don't want unregistered guns in the hands of gang members and lunatics...(assuming, of course that such people could not come into legitmate possession of a registered gun by themselves) He showed irresponsibility in having that gun and should be denied the right to have any further "registered" guns in the future by having a criminal record.

My 2 cents, worth what you paid for it.

[Publius6961]

Seriously though injustice *IS* the law of the land. One hopes for Jury Nullification in this case.

I would certainly rather trust a jury to do the right thing.

"We can't protect you and you may not protect yourself" doesn't exactly inspire confidence or cancel the instinct for survival and protecting one's family.

[Hodar]

Great post. There are legal ways to do things, this man, unfortunately, decided to sidestep the law. So, NY has a choice, dismiss the law; or enforce it.

[ctdonath2]

Do pistols have to be registered in Brroklyn?

Fill out several forms, pay a $300 fee, wait 6 months, get interviewed a couple times, at which point they invariably deny your application.

Yes pistols must be registered there...and they won't let you register it.

[WhiskeyPapa]

This fellow broke the law. He made a conscious decision to do so. Now it's time to pay the piper. Pay like a man. It was worth shooting the intruder, wasn't it?

Please stay in New York. Please don't mingle with people who have common sense.

Walt

[demosthenes the elder]

Stupid laws should be disregarded. Unconstitutional laws should be broken.

[William Terrell]

When we ignore the law in favor of statutes our civilization is doomed.

[RKV]

"No one is bound to obey an unconstitutional law, and no courts are bound to enforce it."
-16 Am Jur 2d, Sec 177 late 2d, Sec 256

The law in New York is clearly contrary to the plain meaning of the 2nd Amendment. The 2nd Amendment is clearly superior to New York state law. No other conclusions are reasonable. Period. Judges who operate contrary to this position have broken their oaths to support the Constitution. So-called conservatives who think otherwise are not conservative, they are Fascists. Just like the Germans who "only did what they were told to do."