Posted on 08/24/2008 3:21:59 PM PDT by marktwain
A Wyoming hunter who accidentally caused a security concern at the Grand Hyatt hotel Saturday said he’s sorry for the problems he caused and didn’t know the Democratic National Convention was in town.
When Joseph Calanchini walked into the Grand Hyatt hotel with 2 rifles and 2 pistols Saturday around 4:00 pm, Denver Police evacuated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from the hotel until they arrested Calanchini and made sure it was safe for Pelosi to return.
“I didn’t even know the DNC was in town. I don’t watch the news,” said Joseph Calanchini from the Denver City Jail where he’s being held on bond. “If I had known, I would have done things differently. It was a simple mistake.”
Calanchini, who talked to 9Wants to Know from the Denver City Jail, says he had the weapons because he’s getting ready to go on a hunting safari trip in Limpopo Basin, South Africa on August 28. He planned to hunt warthog, impala, baboon and jackals with a friend there.
He says he had just picked up his rifles from the Sportsman’s Warehouse and had them in a locked gun case when he checked in at the Grand Hyatt. The clerk checking him in noticed the rifle case and called security.
“I’m amazed. It’s not like they were illegal weapons, they were all registered to me,” said Calanchini. “It was bad timing.”
Police say Calanchini had permits for the rifles, but did not have concealed permits to carry two pistols that were found in his luggage. Calanchini says he forgot they were in there.
He was charged with unlawfully carry weapons, a misdemeanor. Calanchini is being held on $10,000
Denver suffers form a strange paranoia. They think any gun is illegal. They are a good place to avoid.
Boycott Dirty Denver
“In the middle of a leave for PCS, I went digging in my storage locker
and found an ORIGINAL AR-7 by Armalite. I remembered buying it,
I remember shipping it home... after I found it.
It had to have been in storage for 7+ years.
And I had a few bricks of ammo stored with it.”
- - -
HA!
That must have felt like Christmas morning!
No tellings what I will find when (if)
I finally get all my stuff back!
Yeah, it sounds like I need a warehouseman to inventory and keep track of my stuff..... but if you put a car up in 1986, and start restoring it in 2007, and find a pocket-knife on the floorboard under the seat..... Stuff just turns up.
And it was like Christmas. Almost every day is.
/johnny
If not, there wasn't probable cause to allow a unwarranted search since the rifles were legally carried and in no violation.
I predict that after this guy spends a ton of money with his attorney, the charges will be dropped.
“PELOSI IS A WASTE OF SPERM, LET ALONE A BULLET!”
LOL, best line I have read all day.
I have been trying to find the relevant law, with no luck. I think that it may be a Denver law. Most states have a luggage, or “cased” exception to “concealed carry”, but I have not been able to find it yet for Denver. It is legal to have pistols in your car, loaded, for defense.
But, apparently, it may be illegal to have them unloaded in luggage outside the car!!!
In a strange twist of the law, I guess you are supposed to leave them in the car to be stolen, rather than lock them up in your hotel room??
LOL, a quick glance at the headlines and I thought it might be about Rielle.
In reading your referenced website I would say he’ll get off. He was transporting weapons to his hotel room which is permitted so long as they are not readily accessible. They’ll probably hold him until they get a refusal from the DA tomorrow. (my guess)
Joseph Calanchini is code for Dick Cheney.
If you are driving though Denver on your way to a hunting trip don't stop until you get to the other side of town.
They have some strange laws on the books.
The best I have that fits in with what you are talking about is about
10 years ago I was going through some stuff my mama said
“she didn’t want to have to keep up with anymore” and found my
(deceased) dad’s pocket knife that he carried with him
during WWII in the merchant marines.
Not pretty, not rare, not “worth” anything to anyone else,
but to me, it is priceless ...
I literally would not sell it for a million bucks.
**Joseph Calanchini from the Denver City Jail where he’s being held on bond. “**
Follow-up. Did he blow the bond?
Warthog Ping
(well its certainly more popular than Pelosi right now)
...but at least one is within 2 or 3 steps of me at all times!
This is a GREAT story because it remainds everyone that liberals don’t trust common Americans (with firearms).
“Amazing. An American citizen commits no crime, is abused by the Authorities, and then apologizes for it.”
I have a feeling that’s what we all will be doing soon.
I'm not lettin' my kids play over at your house.
Yes it is. It could destroy a whole lot of Obama’s “I don't want to take firearms from hunters” silly shtick.
“I’m not lettin’ my kids play over at your house.”
- - -
Thank you.
Please don’t.
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