Man, 72, faces 'life sentence' for unloaded, antique gun

[323MAR]

I do not even see how the poor fools who believe in gun laws can support this travesty. This must be one of the WORST exercises of discretion by LE in our history. If Samuel Adams would have been driving that car, there would have been a fight!

http://jpfo.org/alerts2015/alert20150217.htm#gilder

 

[JBP55]

WOW!

 

[noob]

Remind me never to go to NJ....

 

[freedive10]

Flintlock from 1700s could land elderly NJ man in prison

I really hate N.Y., N.J., Ill., Commifornia!!!!!!


A retired teacher is facing 10 years in prison and the loss of his state pension for possessing a flintlock pistol that may not have been fired since George Washington was alive, his attorney told FoxNews.com on Wednesday.

In a case that underscores the Garden State's strict gun laws, Gordon Van Gilder, a retired English teacher and collector of historical items, has been charged with criminal possession of a handgun and faces up to 10 years in prison. If the 72-year-old is convicted, the charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3.5 years and the pension Van Gilder earned as an educator could be revoked, penalties attorney Evan Nappen called "outrageous.

“It’s crazy," Nappen told FoxNews.com. "The gun was unloaded and strictly possessed as a historical relic. We’re hoping the prosecutor will exercise discretion and dismiss his case.”

Van Gilder readily acknowledged the unloaded gun was in his glove compartment and wrapped in cloth when he was pulled over for a traffic violation in Cumberland County in November, 2014, according to Nappen. He had recently bought the gun and was planning to add it to his collection of antiques, which includes other old firearms, the lawyer said.

"Apparently there must be a lot of drive-by flintlock shootings in North Jersey."
- Gordon Van Gilder

“This is a Queen Anne flintlock, which is a very pretty gun," Nappen said. "The barrel looks like a cannon and it has a single shot – you have to actually untwist the barrel to load it – it’s pretty involved to even attempt to load it. But the craftsmanship is from the 1760s, and it’s just magnificent to think that every piece of it was hand-made.”

But New Jersey law does not exempt antique firearms, said Nappen, who recently defended a Pennsylvania single mother who was pulled over just across the New Jersey border with a registered gun she carried for protection. In that case, Nappen helped his client avoid a 3-year mandatory minimum sentence only after widespread publicity including extensive coverage by Fox News led the state Attorney General's Office to drop the case.

The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, which charged Van Gilder, did not return a call for comment Wednesday.

If Van Gilder is ultimately convicted, Nappen said he hopes Gov. Chris Christie would consider a pardon.

But he said the case could drag on for a long time.

A Queen Anne flintlock is a prized collector's item, but not the weapon of choice for modern criminals, according to firearms experts.


“I called the prosecutor to see what we could do on this, and the prosecutor told me that they were waiting for ballistics," Nappen said incredulously. "And I’m thinking, ‘What? Ballistics on a flintlock?'"

Second Amendment advocates say the case illustrates the need to make gun laws more reasonable.

"This proves just how Draconian gun laws are in New Jersey," Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation told FoxNews.com. "Laws that are used to prosecute gun owners like this one are why the gun rights movement cannot trust gun prohibition politicians."

Gun control advocacy groups including the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the Violence Policy Center did not return requests for comment.

In an interview with NRA News, Van Gilder gave more details about his arrest.

“One of the undersheriffs said, ‘Well, let him go, it’s 250 years old,’" Van Gilder said. "But his boss, who is the sheriff, said, ‘No, we have to arrest him.’ Next morning, I am sleeping and hear pounding on the door, and 4 of them came and took me away with 3 or 4 sheriff’s cars -- I guess they didn’t have anything better to do with taxpayer money.”

“I was fingerprinted and I was chained by my legs to an ice cold bench. Apparently there must be a lot of drive-by flintlock shootings in North Jersey,” he quipped bitterly.

Van Gilder, who is frightened for his future, has set up a legal defense fund. He knows he could be in for a long fight.

“I’m charged with a felony," he said. "That could ruin my life. That could hurt my pension that I spent 34 years acquiring. And I couldn’t vote. It’s not right, it’s not fair. “

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/02/18/flintlock-from-1700s-could-land-elderly-nj-man-in-prison/

 

[Saintsfan6]

WTF is wrong with that place? From what I have read about that gentleman, he is a genuinely great man that has done nothing but work hard and help others. A damn shame and blatant disregard for his second amendment rights. Regardless of the fact that the flintlock pistol was unloaded and probably hasn't been loaded or shot in forever, this is down right lunacy.

 

[oleheat]

Keep in mind that there are some out there who want their governor to be our next President.


Not no- but hell no.

 

[Saintsfan6]

Ive never been a fan of Chris. Now I am ashamed he may even be in the running during the primary. This is what the republican party has come to.

 

[JBP55]

Repost.

 

[323MAR]

Where are the protesters? This was an act of tyranny involving a relic from the Revolutionary War era. Another revolt is clearly in order here.

 

[Magdump]

A 250 year old piece of history. Extremism takes on all forms, but usually has an ulterior motive. Wonder who's looking to put that antique in their collection...

 

[seawolf]

Waiting on a ballistics test?!?! That's like scraping the paint off of a Rembrandt to see if its a painting. What ass clown would risk destroying a piece of history like that.

 

[323MAR]

Waiting on a ballistics test?!?! That's like scraping the paint off of a Rembrandt to see if its a painting. What ass clown would risk destroying a piece of history like that.

NJ has lost it's way. They have forgotten our history and are now repeating the tyranny that led to the forming of our nation. It is a crime to even think about guns there. The police and the Mafia do not have to worry as they are exempt from the law.

 

[TTNKountze]

Gun control nuts are closeted perverts who need an outlet. This case proves the insanity they can be driven to.

 

[323MAR]

Cases like this are where ALL gun laws eventually bring our society. That is why proposed new gun bills should be stopped and most current gun laws need to be repealed as a defense against gun control. Gun laws are frequently used against citizens who have no criminal records at all. The spirit of the law has no meaning since gun laws are only a means by which people can be converted into criminals and lose Constitutional Rights. Those who have no rights can be controlled by government.
Gun owners who are converted into criminals can no longer vote for Conservatives. That is why the Democrats love gun laws. Government has the means to control and even disarm gun owners at will. We have a long way to go in America before civil rights can be restored to our country.