Posted on 01/10/2014 1:34:31 AM PST by marktwain
In a story about the student with a concealed carry permit that was arrested in Connecticut because someone saw him shift a rifle in his vehicle, AP claims that he has been charged with "unlawful transport into Connecticut of a semi-automatic Bushmaster rifle":
Federal prosecutors say 23-year-old William Dong is charged with unlawful transport into Connecticut of a semi-automatic Bushmaster rifle that he bought in Pennsylvania in September.It is probably just bad reporting on the part of the AP, but I do not recall any unlawful transport offense in Federal firearms law.
He told police that he had it because he was going to the shooting range the next day, said Nivakoff, who was involved in the West Haven investigation.In this era of "Three Felonies a Day", it appears that charges can be found for anyone. I hope that this is not one of those cases. Eric Holder's Justice Department and the BATFE have not done anything to increase trust in their veracity.
The rifle may be illegal in Connecticut. I have not seen any evidence to indicate that the rifle was purchased illegally.It's not clear what Dong's intentions might have been, but friends have called the incident a "huge misunderstanding" and said Dong was often confused about where he was allowed to carry guns.
"It was a shock," said Thomas Wething, who went to high school with Dong and watched police search his home from across the street. "I was questioning it at first."
Dong's best friend, Manuel Pallares, said Dong carries weapons every day to protect himself while working at an armored truck company that delivers money.
Violation of FOPA?
It’s simple. If the cop says you’re guilty, you’re guilty. I was told that by a cop once. But cop eventually lost. I called the governor’s office and filed a complaint. The next the head of the state police called me and apoligized. But I know those kind of things don’t happen today.
I believe if you are transporting a firearm through CT is must be unloaded and secured. If you are seen “adjusting” a firearm in your car, it is clearly not “secured.”
This person sounds like he had the thing sitting on his seat.
Agree or disagree with their law—this person sounds like he was not very bright.
The rifle may be illegal in Connecticut.
But that doesn’t make it a federal crime, I wouldn’t think....
Just went back and read the incident report. This guy had a fully loaded, illegal rifle (in Ct) sitting on the back floor of his car.
On or near a college campus.
This kid is an idiot.
http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Alleged-campus-gunman-back-in-court-5072673.php
I believe this is the kid who caused a lockdown in New Haven back in December.
_____________________________________________
But instead of not-guilty pleas being entered to gun charges, as the courtroom full of spectators and media expected, the proceeding ended with another continuance.
State’s Attorney Kevin Lawlor told state Superior Court Judge Frank Iannotti he needed more time to file discovery — information about the case he is required to turn over to defense lawyers — and to do more investigation. With agreement from Dong’s lawyer, Frederick Paoletti, of Bridgeport, the judge then continued the case to Jan. 14.
“He will be pleading not guilty at the next court date,” Paoletti said later, outside the courtroom. “The state is doing its investigation, and we are awaiting the results of that investigation.”
Lawlor declined comment.
During the brief hearing, Dong’s parents sat huddled in the back of the courtroom sobbing.
At one point, the mother’s cries became so loud her daughter put her hand over her mother’s mouth.
The father uttered something in Chinese as they left the courtroom, but they had no comment for reporters.
Dong, 22, of Fairfield, who police said showed up on the University of New Haven campus Dec. 3 carrying two loaded semi-automatic handguns and a loaded assault rifle in his car, is charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon, illegal transport of an assault weapon, breach of peace and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.
Both the transport and the weapon-in-a-motor-vehicle charges are Class D felonies punishable by up to five years each in prison. The other charges are misdemeanors.
Dong is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond.
Around 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 3, West Haven police received a call that an Asian man was just seen leaving a parked car outside the ShopRite supermarket carrying a long rifle. The caller said the man was walking toward the UNH campus, police said.
When officers arrived, they said witnesses pointed out a blue 2010 Toyota Rav4 parked against a fence in the south side of the store’s parking lot. When officers looked into the car, they saw a soft-side rifle case folded on the passenger side floor of the SUV, and behind the front passenger seat they saw four AR-15 magazines.
A perimeter was set up around the car, while other officers rushed to the nearby campus, where they joined campus police already searching for the gunman.
A short time later, the call went out that police had the suspect on the ground and were arresting him after spotting him outside one of the buildings,.
The man, who was identified as Dong, was found holding a 9mm Glock 26 loaded with 10 rounds and one in the chamber. He also had a 40-caliber Glock 22 Gen 4 in a laptop case that was loaded with 15 rounds and one in the chamber, police said.
Shortly afterward, state police and FBI agents searched Dong’s car and found a Bushmaster assault rifle with a collapsible stock on the floor behind the front passenger seat, police said. Five magazines with 30 rounds each were discovered next to the gun, along with three magazines with a total of more than 50 rounds for the handguns.
When police went to the Fairfield home Dong shared with his parents, they found his bedroom door padlocked.
After they broke open the door, police sources said they found 2,700 rounds of ammunition and newspaper clippings about the mass shooting in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater.
You should have got it in writing.
There is no such thing as a loaded, illegal rifle in the United States.
Guess The People’s Republic of New Jersey is not one of the United States!
Sounds like his porn star name.
Seriously - FOPA is perhaps one of the most ignored laws in America today, other than the Affordable Care Act. Too bad there aren't serious penalties for ignoring it.
You sort of have to fault Mr. Dong, too, since anyone with half a brain bringing a gun to a Marxist state like Connecticut should know better than to be seen with a gun.
It does not appear to me that Dong caused the lockdown at New Haven.
He had a rifle in his car. He had a concealed carry permit and two pistols on him. No one noticed that he had the pistols (they were concealed) until he was arrested.
The car with the rifle was not on campus.
What does his having 2,700 rounds of ammunition in his home have to do with anything?
Yes, in principle I agree.
In reality, I cannot drive around with a loaded weapon on the back seat of my car in MA without getting in a lot of trouble.
I don’t like it, but that’s the law here.
“There is no such thing as a loaded, illegal rifle in the United States.”
Yes! Whatever happened to the constitutional right to keep and bear arms?
This is the kid that caused the lockdown at UNH.
He left in the middle of his biology final exam, walked down the big hill to the grocery store parking lot by the school where he was parked - many students and staff park there as there isn’t enough on-campus parking.
There, a woman shopping at the store saw him take the rifle from the backseat of his car and place it in the trunk of his car. The woman called the police and the kid was stopped while he was walking back up the hill to the school. He had to loaded hand-guns on him that he had a permit for.
The school does not allow possession of weapons on campus. The whole place went into lockdown. Class I taught in the evening was cancelled. Most of us believe that the kid was just stupid, but some think he was psycho. What ever - his potential career in LE is kaput.
FWIW
to = two guns
Geeze
There are about 5,000 colleges in America, everyone is “near” a college campus
Everyone is “near” a school.
Wake the hell up.
This nation was founded on guns.....there is no such thing as an illegal gun (PER THE CONSTITUTION)
Again, wake the hell up!
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