A man who hunted deer on his own property will spend 15 years in federal prison

AP via Boston Glob ^ | 4/30/03 | staff

[CFW]

PITTSBURGH (AP) A man who hunted deer on his own property will spend 15 years in federal prison because he was a convicted felon, and therefore not allowed to possess a gun.

Jack C. Altsman, 43, of Beaver Falls, received the mandatory sentence Friday from U.S. District Judge Terrence McVerry.

[CFW]

Another meanwhile:

How Sean Penn got gun permit

snip....

Penn admitted to using marijuana 20 years ago and had a couple of arrests for assault and driving recklessly, factors that could have disqualified him for a permit for carrying a concealed weapon. In this case, however, Penn got FBI and state Department of Justice clearance and completed firearms training early last year.

[TLI]

I'm not picking on you, it's just that you touched on several points.....

If this man had turned his life around and lived an examplery life, and if ample time has passed, he could have motioned for expungement of his conviction before taking a gun in his hands knowing that he was breaking the law by doing so.

Nope. Won't work.  One must be granted "restoration of rights" by.. (get this) BATF.   The law and process are on the books, but ATF does not process any apps, they "don't have the money."  But the feds have nearly 1/2 million bucks (of YOUR money) to keep one guy in a fed pen for 15 years?  The feds are playing God with our rights.  That would be inalienable rights, by the way.  The founders of this Republic had a few things to say about that.

I'm sorry but championing a cause for a felon with a firearm only gives ammunition to the gun grabbers.

I don't think that it would.  This is a favorite activity for libs... defending "victims of unjust law."  If they criticize it, it will only give ammo to the pro-gunners.  If they try to deny they support it, simply present the non-believer with a list of presidential pardons by Klinton.

I support the right to bear arms, but only for the lawful citizenry.

You don't want to do that.  It is absolutely true that everyone on this board (every adult in the u.S.) is either a convicted or not-yet-convicted felon.  Ever filed taxes?  Ever filled out a loan application at a bank, credit union or any federally insured money lending institution?  If you have done both (or either, in fact) any law student can "prove" you are guilty of a federal crime...BINGO, you loose.   Also, under Patriot Act II, everyone on this board is already a "terrorist."   

Welcome to the camp...

[A2J]

Mandatory sentences are needed so bleeding-heart judges don't go soft on the criminal element. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Too bad you don't say the same thing on the pro-drug threads.

[GhostofWCooper]

He's in the special group, the celebrities.
Another protected, special group are the verrry Rich. and let's not leave out the politicians, (the over-lords) they are allowed to keep assault rifles in their Washington DC homes. These groups lives are vastly more valuable than the lives of the working class Americans, who require considerable watching and regulation.

[irish guard]

I had an old bartender friend who used to say, when God made ducks, he didn't make seasons.....

Unfortunately for this guy, he should have known better after two felonies that he would be in deep stuff if he did anything wrong. I don't deer hunt, but I know there is a season and I also know I can't hunt even my own land out of season.

[Knightsofswing]

You should have read the article. He was hunting during the season. It took quite a while to get to this point. It takes time to get to a kanagroo court here in the east. They are too busy with other things [you think about it, come in late, take a long lunch & leave early to play golf with all of the rest of the bottom feeders {read as atty's}]

[Chemist_Geek]

You just don't get it.

No, sir, you don't. Any right may be deprived by due process of law. This imbecile had three convictions; he had his days in court; and he is suffering the consequences of beinf unable to live in civilized society.

If he really wanted to be able to hunt, he could have made better choices. Too damn bad for him.

[GhostofWCooper]

We don't need no steenking white flag.
What we need are new candidates with grass-root support, and make them winners!

[Thumper1960]

Considering how many infractions of the "law" can be, and are, felonies.....I'm inclined to agree with you. If one thinks the Tax Codes are a labryth, consider the patchwork of criminal and civil laws, rules and regulations-Federally and locally.

[MineralMan]

"I'm sorry but championing a cause for a felon with a firearm only gives ammunition to the gun grabbers.

Felons should never be allowed to possess firearms as long as their felony record is still standing.

I support the right to bear arms, but only for the lawful citizenry.
"

Bingo! Felons should not possess firearms, unless there is a procedure that allows the restoration of their rights. That's just my opinion, but it's also the law.

[RonF]

Rights are inalienable, read the preamble.

The preamble to what? Here's the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

No usage of "inalienable rights" here. There is in the Declaration of Independence, but while that document has great moral force, it has no legal force.

[MineralMan]

"Do you understand how easy it is to become a felon? How downright PETTY some of the felony-level transgresions are?"

Do you understand how easy it is to _avoid_ becoming a felon? You simply do not commit felonies. Be a law-abiding citizen and you will not become a felon.

[RonF]

My mistake. Sorry.

[Hodar]

If they fall into subparagraph 4

has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution;

They should NOT be allowed to have firearms, whether they are veterans or not.

[seamas]

True-we don't know the whole story. What I do know is that to get the 15 min man, you are a convicted felon, and you must have three priors for either crimes of violence or serious drug felonies. There's the rub. The crimes of violence need not be violent and the serious drug offenses need not be serious. Burglary of a structure counts as a crime of violence as per the S.CT., and marihuana offenses qualify for the latter provision. Again, good thought from Congress, but poor legislation.

[Thumper1960]

Considering what the prosecution could bring up in the course of a jury trial, perhaps he was smart to just plead guilty. Piss off a prosecutor and they could make Jesus spend a thousand years for any "crimes" he may have committed....or, they could have Him sentenced to a mental institution for daring to claim He was the Son of God.

Never underestimate the power of the State.

[MindBender26]

But it is inconsistent and intellectually feeble to state that only one enumerated right is denied (2nd amendment) after a felony conviction but all of the other enumerated rights, in particular 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th, which are all individual rights, are not denied as well

Rights are far from absolute!

(Now that's enough to scare most of us Conservatives, until we look at the reality of the situation)

Like it or not, as a civilized society, we routinely give up certain rights.

For example, the freedom of speech dooes not give us the right to cry "fire" in a crowded theater, to make jokes about bombs on aircraft, to make fraudulent statements in the pursuit of profit, etc.

Convicted criminals lose the right of free assembly, (being in jail or even afterwards in associating with other known criminals) as do school students, (you can't just walk out of class and into the hallway.)

The 2d Ammendment does not give you, (or the Al Quida terroist down the block,) the right to possess nuclear weapons. Freedom of the Press does not give the convicted child molester working for the local paper the right to take photographs of my 12 year old daughter and photomanipulate them onto the body of a nude woman having sex, then publish them.

I'm an NRA Life Member (Charlton says Hi!) and carry my Glock most everywhere, but am glad the 2d Amemdment does not give some psychotic the right to park in front of your house with a M2 .50 cal Browning HMG pointed at your daughter's window.

The concept of "rights" being absolute begins to have trouble when you realize that absolute means exactly that, and they apply to your enemies, the sick, the criminal, etc., not just us.

[MindBender26]

No it is not in the COnstitution, nor is the law that prevents feenagers from driving 120 miles an hour past your house! Please see reply above. Thanks

[RonF]

Sorry about that. My mistake.

[FirstTomato]

Sounds good to me. I don't even own a white flag. I'm determined that we will take back America from the socialists.