Posted on 04/25/2005 7:31:05 AM PDT by freeperfromnj
NEWARK, N.J. -- She's 87, and "a nice lady." She's also facing a weapons charge after trying to enter the Essex County Courthouse with a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson.
Rebecca Solomon of Newark was running late for a hearing at landlord-tenant court, and said she forgot to take the gun -- which was still in its original box -- out of her handbag last Wednesday.
A metal detector at the courthouse flagged the weapon.
"I asked the guard if he could just keep it until I got back from court," Solomon told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Monday's newspapers. "He said, `I can't do that, I'm afraid I'm going to have to call my supervisor."
Although the senior has a permit to own the gun, she does not have one to carry it in public. She was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun.
"We had no choice," said Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura. "We felt bad about it. But there was nothing we can do."
The sheriff said he hopes the prosecutor's office examines the case and either downgrades the charges or dismisses them entirely.
"She didn't mean any harm," the sheriff said. "And she's such a nice lady."
Solomon said she bought the gun -- and a box of bullets -- for protection. Within the past year, her home has been broken into three times, she said.
She had an appointment in landlord-tenant court for a case in which she is trying to have tenants of her duplex evicted, and thought she had left the gun in the trunk of her car. where she usually puts it when she goes out.
"I know I made a mistake," she told the newspaper. "I just get forgetful sometimes."
New Jersey, The Police State
Every courthouse should be able to accomodate folks (and grandmars!) with weapons. They don't even have so much as a hat check anymore.
"I asked the guard if he could just keep it until I got back from court," Solomon told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Monday's newspapers. "He said, `I can't do that, I'm afraid I'm going to have to call my supervisor."
Gee. Anything to get a statistic to justify the job. Remember when the Police had the descretion whether there was any intent? Rather than a strict interpretation of the "law"?
Find her guilty but suspend the sentence based on her first class choice of weapons. There is nothing like an old Smith.
The prosecutor has the discretion to do nothing, on account of "no harm done." That's what a Jersey prosecutor did when my next-door-neighbor's daughter was abducted by a stranger, and only found in time by sheer luck (ie, grace of God).
We should watch the developments here, see if a woman who clearly needs protection is legally disarmed.
And BTW, having been there, I say she's in more danger from having tenants in Essex County, than she is from outright burglars.
You need a permit to OWN in NJ?
Definitely will be interesting to see how this turns out. I'll be checking the NJ media for a follow up story.
Yes.
Yes. Blue Nation. One of the bluest.
The world has gotten to the point where logic and ration are no longer options .. .. ..
I agree .. .. ..
As a New Jerseyan I was shocked to learn that in PA they have nothing but a background check, and no permit to own a firearm is needed. NJ is the most highly regulated state in the nation, and you would not dream of having a firearm here(including a BB gun) without a permit. Unless, of course, you're a criminal.
NY and NJ - Schumer/Lautenberg country.
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