and the doughnut muncher felt the need to search the car of a 72 YEAR OLD because???
Posted on 02/15/2015 11:08:01 AM PST by digger48
When a 72-year-old retired school teacher faces a 10 year felony sentence (a likely life sentence) for possession of an unloaded 18th century flintlock pistol, one knows immediately that we can only be talking about a handful of states in which such a travesty can happen. In this case, not surprisingly, it’s the “Garden State” of New Jersey.
Gordon Van Gilder, who taught in the New Jersey school system for 34 years, is a collector of 18th century memorabilia. He acquired a genuine antique flintlock pistol from that era, and had it unloaded and wrapped in a cloth in his glove compartment when he was pulled over for an alleged minor traffic violation.
Van Gilder consented to a requested search of his vehicle, and when asked by the officer if there was anything in the car the officer should be worried about, Van Gilder informed him about the flintlock in the glove box. Although not arrested that day, the next morning several patrol cars woke him at his home and placed him under arrest.
New Jersey’s draconian gun laws explicitly include antique firearms such as this 300-year-old pistol. Indeed, possession of a slingshot is a felony under New Jersey law.
Van Gilder is represented by Evan Nappen, a well-known attorney specializing in gun law cases, and thus is as well-represented as could be hoped for this case. It was Nappen who successfully represented Philadelphia nurse Shaneen Allen when she was charged with unlawful possession of her PA-licensed handgun in New Jersey. The mother of two small children was ultimately permitted to enter pre-trial intervention rather than be subject to trial and New Jersey’s mandatory minimum sentence of 3 1/2 to 5 years imprisonment. That outcome, however, took direct intervention by the state Attorney General, likely at the prodding of the presidential-aspirant Governor Chris Christie.
Van Gilder will be fortunate indeed if Nappen can win him a similar arrangement. Even a plea agreement that avoids jail time but convicts Van Gilder of a felony would likely jeopardize the teacher’s pension he spent 34 years earning.
As Van Gilder states in the video above–”Avoid New Jersey. Don’t come here.” And as Nappen notes, twice as many families are currently leaving New Jersey as are arriving in the state. New Jersey’s population loss relative to other states is also evident in its loss of a House seat following the 2010 census. Other northeastern extremist gun control states have similarly lost House seats in recent years, with New York losing two seats and Massachusetts losing one seat.
–-Andrew, @LawSelfDefense
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This is insane. New Jersey does not understand the “shall not be infringed” part of the 2nd Amendment.
Should have retired to a free state.
Unreal. And very few people, except those like myself who regularly shoot antique black powder weapons would even know how to properly load a flintlock.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie claims to be a republican. As far as I’m concerned, his failure to intervene is protecting our God-given right to keep and bear arms permanently disqualifies him for any office higher than dog catcher. Abusing citizens who exercise their constitutional rights is a disgusting act that all NJ officials should be ashamed of.
I am glad to be American by birth, Southern by the grace of God. :-)
Don’t be silly. The Founders never envisioned people being armed with highly dangrous weaponry such as flintlock pistols...
Of course it is.
The ancient Greeks have a phrase covering that: “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”
America has lost her mind and Barack Obama is all the evidence needed.
RULE #1: Never consent to a search of your vehicle.
So much for the lefty meme of “2nd amendment only applies to muskets.”
The purpose of gun laws is to disarm honest, non- violent citizens and to deliberately leave guns in the hands of violent criminals.
Should have retired to a free state.
Exactly.
Another Democrat voter who voted twice for Obama and all the lunatic shiboleths of metastasizing Liiberalsm, had better call in some Conservs' to save him.
Of course it is.
The ancient Greeks have a phrase covering that: “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”
America has lost her mind and Barack Obama is all the evidence needed.
Daily Beast published a piece that showed how Mr. Christie really feels about gun rights:
Christie’s first two campaigns were run on his support of New Jersey’s assault weapons ban, in place since 1990, which includes the 15-round magazine cap.
In April 1993, the future governor (then just a lawyer) announced he would run for the State Senate. He told the Star-Ledger, “The issue which has motivated me to get into this race is the recent attempt by certain Republican legislators to repeal New Jersey’s ban on assault weapons...In today’s society no one needs a semiautomatic assault weapon...We already have too many firearms in our communities.” Christie said that while he absolutely supported the right to bear arms, he would prevent any “weakening” of existing gun laws. The campaign only lasted a week.
In 1995, Christie, while serving as a county Freeholder, mounted a campaign for the State Assembly. He teamed up with Richard Merkt, then a legislative aide, to give running on assault weapons another go. Today, Merkt says that he just “went along” with Christie on the issue. Team Christie, he told The Daily Beast, “took control of that whole process.” The process including distributing mailers attacking the duo’s two main opponents, the vulnerable incumbent, Anthony Bucco, and a prominent conservative voice in the district, Michael Patrick Carroll. The mailers deemed repealing the ban on automatic assault weapons “dangerous,” “crazy,” and “radical.”
“He was basically kind of mocking the Second Amendment people,” Merkt said. “I think he thought the Second Amendment issue was kind of a joke, and was not significant.”
Christie and Merkt lost, with Christie coming in fourth place.
On top his abysmal record on the Second Amendment, there’s the fact that New Jersey is one of the worst states for business; its property taxes have continued to rise; and its tax projections left the state budget with a $800 million dollar shortfall. These are hardly accomplishments to be running on a national ticket.
So, it seems that while being for gun control, which is anathema to the base (and rightfully so) could derail Christie’s presidential ambitions; his economic record isn’t much to write home about either.
I would ask the question, “what is the logic of this law,” but then I remember the left’s intent is to criminalize everything and everyone.
and yet, we are mindless stooges for voting for republicans each and every election.
Look where that has gotten us.
Another Democrat voter who voted twice for Obama and all the lunatic shiboleths of metastasizing Liiberalsm
Well this must have been an Assault Flintlock pistol.
Sheesh, if only he were a fudge packer supreme he would quickly find allies in power to protect him.
Just pitiful.
They can’t revoke his pension because he was already retired. If he was still working they could.
and the doughnut muncher felt the need to search the car of a 72 YEAR OLD because???
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