Posted on 01/21/2005 4:58:03 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The arrest of a man identified by Fox News as a bodyguard for anti-gun film director Michael Moore by New York Port Authority Police Wednesday evening proves that Moore is an elitist who thinks it is fine for him to have armed security, while he has endeavored to disarm other law-abiding Americans, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) said today.
Adding to the irony, said SAF Founder Alan M. Gottlieb, is the fact that bodyguard Patrick Burke was arrested for violating the kind of Draconian gun law that Moore and his extremist gun control contemporaries would support. Burke was reportedly arrested at JFK International Airport when he declared his firearm at the ticket counter, as required by law when traveling.
New York authorities habitually arrest private citizens at airports around the state when they declare firearms as required by law, and do not have a New York firearms license. It is a technicality that has tripped up many travelers who may simply be going through the state on their way to or from other destinations.
“Michael Moore is a world-class hypocrite for campaigning against the gun rights of law-abiding citizens, while having an armed bodyguard,” Gottlieb observed. “Unfortunately for Mr. Burke, who is reportedly licensed to carry a firearm in Florida and California, he has been tripped up by the same anti-gun mentality espoused by his elitist employer. Sadly, if criminal charges are pursued, it will be Mr. Burke, not his boss, who takes the fall, possibly losing his gun rights in the process, because possession of an unlicensed gun in New York is a felony.
“Like so many other arrogant Hollywood anti-gunners, Michael Moore obviously considers his life more important than the lives of all the people he would disarm,” Gottlieb stated. “His malevolence toward the rights of gun owners only adds to the hypocrisy of this case.
“Naturally,” Gottlieb concluded, “we would be delighted to recommend a suitable lawyer from the SAF attorney referral list to represent Mr. Burke. And we’re certain Malevolent Michael will happily pick up the tab.”
The Second Amendment Foundation is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers & an amicus brief & fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.
"OL: Are you a gun owner? If so, what is your favorite gun?
Bush: Yes. My favorite gun is a Weatherby, Athena 20-gauge (over/under).
Kerry: My favorite gun is the M-16 that saved my life and that of my crew in Vietnam. I don’t own one of those now, but one of my reminders of my service is a Communist Chinese assault rifle"
http://www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/news/article/0,19912,696240-4,00.html
admittedly , a little sketchy , as that man always is.
and also it could have been an SKS Type 56 semi .
bttt
Good point. And where was PETA when kErRy went "goose hunting"? Or when the Canuks clubbed all those baby seals? effen Liberals.
The big news is that Michael Moore employs a STUPID armed bodyguard.
Actually, that's good. Earthquakes cause tsunamis.
I'm confused.
I drive into the state of NY, without a NY gun license, because I am just passing through.
Could I be arrested for possession of a firearm without a license?
Do they issue gun licenses at the state line?
I hearby motion that all oscars and awards that were given out for the 2002 documentary "Bowling for Columbine" be officially removed from all records and declared null and void on the basis that it's director is a fat, disgusting, repulsive hypocrit who can't even live by his own words.
Do I hear a second on this motion?
how in the living hell can they arrest the man for obeying the law? The law says you gotta declare the gun and when you do you get arrested? can we say violation of the 5th amendment?
I can't blame Rosie or Mikey for having armed guards. After all, if an adversary was armed and fired on them, the likelihood of missing them is pretty small.
mm is a LIAR, HYPOCRYTE, FOOL & HATER.
what fascinates me is that ANYBODY is dumb enough to believe ANYTHING that comes out of his mouth.
free dixie,sw
If the subject is NY gun laws, then the answer is: yes, you are confused. So is everyone else. Starting with a rifle not being a firearm in NY, the law is very confusing.
I drive into the state of NY, without a NY gun license, because I am just passing through. Could I be arrested for possession of a firearm without a license?
So long as the gun is unloaded, locked in a case in the trunk, and you don't stop, you would be OK. If any of those points are missing, you're in trouble.
Do they issue gun licenses at the state line?
No. NY does not issue permits to non-residents. There is a screwy exception for NRA-sponsored shooting competitions, but that's hard to get and hard to follow.
Residents take several months to get their permits. Nobody gets them on-the-spot.
And within NY City limits, RKBA pretty much goes out the window, as regardless of what the law says they don't want anyone armed - and Moore's bodyguard is pretty freaking stupid if he didn't know that.
Michael Moore, Rosie and other fat liberals...
all gun hypocrites...
Clarification: "passing thru" means just that - you don't stop anywhere in NY, period.
BTTT...
He obeyed the law saying you have to declare the gun at the airport.
He violated the law saying you must have a NY Pistol Permit (obtainable only by NY residents) before you can even touch a pistol, much less carry it. Doubly so for NY City. Pistol without permit equals jail time.
The law says you gotta declare the gun and when you do you get arrested?
If you have a pistol in NY you must produce your NY Pistol Permit on demand. He declared the pistol, they demanded the permit, he didn't have it, he goes to jail.
The "gotta declare the gun" law is a federal law.
The "gotta have a permit" law is a state law.
Following one does not make you immune to the other.
can we say violation of the 5th amendment?
A very interesting point, with a very complicated explaination.
Federal law requires declaring & checking in the gun.
This process requires disclosing possession to a private third party (the airline clerk).
The private third party is not required to not disclose this information to anyone else; usually (especially in NYC) this info is passed on to transit police - state agents.
Once a NYC Transit Cop was informed of the possession, he asked for the permit, and the bodyguard was duly arrested for not having one.
Whether there is any conceivable legal way to comply with the federal law without state agents finding out - causing a 5th Amendment violation - would be up to a judge to decide.
Unlike tax law (whereby, for example, one can get federal permission to own a machinegun without a machinegun-prohibiting state from knowing; being a tax matter it is illegal for the BATFE to inform anyone about the ownership), there is nothing prohibiting anyone who knew about Moore's bodyguard's gun (as he attempted to comply with federal law) from informing the state (who arrested him for violating state law).
A very interesting question indeed! Methinks a judge would wiggle out of it by observing that flying is optional, therefore declaration of self-incriminating information is optional; he fessed up to breaking the law, so get the fork he's done. One would have to first assert a right to travel by air, only then would the 5th Amendment apply (and the 4th, which would really stir things up) and the feds have to find a way to get information without revealing it to others, which is hard since the airline (non-federal, non-sworn-to-secrecy) people must be informed.
I'll mull that one over for a while.
Sure does. For once I wish Moore-on would OPEN his big mouth and explain why his fat a$$ is worth more than yours and mine.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.