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Thread: Decorated Vietnam Veteran, POW Sentenced To 7+ Years For ‘Mistake’ Made Decades Ago

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by TexHill View Post
    The man was most likely in possession of a stolen firearm.
    This.

    Not Guilty for unregistered gun, Not Guilty for possession of MJ, but if he knowingly bought a stolen gun, well I hate thieves, so **** him.

  2. #22
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    I'm not sure what the founding fathers would think about the 2nd and the issues of today.

    Personally, I could really give two shakes about someone with a machine gun, but I hesitate at any Tom Dick or Harry being able to possess ANY weapon they can afford. George Soros is a U.S. Citizen, would you feel comfortable with him owning a fleet of, say, nuke capable A-6's and a couple of tactical nukes?

    As to the case in hand, what was the minimum sentence? As near as I can tell:

    POSSESSION OF A FIREARM OR AMMUNITION BY A PROHIBITED PERSON: 18 USC § 922(g) & (n). Punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Key element: Drug user or addict - (Often shown where paraphernalia seized, subject tests positive for drugs and/or subject claims drugs were possessed for personal use.);

    or

    USE, CARRY OR POSSESS A FIREARM IN RELATION TO OR IN FURTHERANCE OF A DRUG FELONY OR A FEDERAL CRIME OF VIOLENCE: 18 USC § 924(c). Punishment ranges from at least 5 years up to life imprisonment.

    This is what I'm upset about. Why? Because the cost to cover the average cost of incarceration for Federal inmates in Fiscal Year 2014 was $30,619.85 ($83.89 per day). (Please note: There were 365 days in FY 2014.) The average annual cost to confine an inmate in a Residential Re-entry Center for Fiscal Year 2014 was $28,999.25 ($79.45 per day)

    This means we are going to bear a cost of over $210,000.00 to punish this 70 year-old guy for possessing, not using, a stolen, illegal machine gun and smoking dope.

    Bullshit, fine the piss out of him, seize the weapon, make him get rid of the others in his collection since he is now a prohibited person, and get on with life.

    According to the United States Sentencing Commission, right at 15% of the folks in prison are there because of firearms mandatory minimum sentencing. This is a good thing when it is used to target violent offenders, but this guy is far from a violent offender.

    Also, for the person wondering who ratted him out - my guess is someone involved in this case: https://www.justice.gov/sites/defaul...irparkcomp.pdf
    Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President... - Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln and Free Speech, Metropolitan Magazine, Volume 47, Number 6, May 1918.

    Every Communist must grasp the truth. Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party Mao Zedong, 6 November, 1938 - speech to the Communist Patry of China's sixth Central Committee

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by 26 Inf View Post
    I'm not sure what the founding fathers would think about the 2nd and the issues of today.

    Personally, I could really give two shakes about someone with a machine gun, but I hesitate at any Tom Dick or Harry being able to possess ANY weapon they can afford. George Soros is a U.S. Citizen, would you feel comfortable with him owning a fleet of, say, nuke capable A-6's and a couple of tactical nukes?

    As to the case in hand, what was the minimum sentence? As near as I can tell:

    POSSESSION OF A FIREARM OR AMMUNITION BY A PROHIBITED PERSON: 18 USC § 922(g) & (n). Punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Key element: Drug user or addict - (Often shown where paraphernalia seized, subject tests positive for drugs and/or subject claims drugs were possessed for personal use.);

    or

    USE, CARRY OR POSSESS A FIREARM IN RELATION TO OR IN FURTHERANCE OF A DRUG FELONY OR A FEDERAL CRIME OF VIOLENCE: 18 USC § 924(c). Punishment ranges from at least 5 years up to life imprisonment.

    This is what I'm upset about. Why? Because the cost to cover the average cost of incarceration for Federal inmates in Fiscal Year 2014 was $30,619.85 ($83.89 per day). (Please note: There were 365 days in FY 2014.) The average annual cost to confine an inmate in a Residential Re-entry Center for Fiscal Year 2014 was $28,999.25 ($79.45 per day)

    This means we are going to bear a cost of over $210,000.00 to punish this 70 year-old guy for possessing, not using, a stolen, illegal machine gun and smoking dope.

    Bullshit, fine the piss out of him, seize the weapon, make him get rid of the others in his collection since he is now a prohibited person, and get on with life.

    According to the United States Sentencing Commission, right at 15% of the folks in prison are there because of firearms mandatory minimum sentencing. This is a good thing when it is used to target violent offenders, but this guy is far from a violent offender.

    Also, for the person wondering who ratted him out - my guess is someone involved in this case: https://www.justice.gov/sites/defaul...irparkcomp.pdf
    I agree the guy broke the law and put his balls in the hands of the govt, but the laws need reformed.

    Constitutionally, nukes should be allowed. We have a system in place to deal with stuff like that - amendments.
    In my opinion, we need to Amend the constitution to restrict stuff, be it Nukes, chemical weapons, or DD/Machineguns.
    They system was designed to be difficult to take rights away on purpose - not bypassed and unconstitutional laws passed because someone says its a popular opinion.

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by MegademiC View Post
    I agree the guy broke the law and put his balls in the hands of the govt, but the laws need reformed.

    Constitutionally, nukes should be allowed. We have a system in place to deal with stuff like that - amendments.
    In my opinion, we need to Amend the constitution to restrict stuff, be it Nukes, chemical weapons, or DD/Machineguns.
    They system was designed to be difficult to take rights away on purpose - not bypassed and unconstitutional laws passed because someone says its a popular opinion.
    I understand what you are saying, but what are the realistic chances of getting a Constitutional Amendment for anything in today's political climate?

    AFAIC, the Citizens United decision pretty much eliminated any chance of our running like it was intended.
    Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President... - Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln and Free Speech, Metropolitan Magazine, Volume 47, Number 6, May 1918.

    Every Communist must grasp the truth. Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party Mao Zedong, 6 November, 1938 - speech to the Communist Patry of China's sixth Central Committee

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by 26 Inf View Post
    I'm not sure what the founding fathers would think about the 2nd and the issues of today.
    Considering they waged war and overthrew a tyrannical govt and formed a new country, I'd say they'd be pretty frickin' disgusted by how we've let the govt put a choke hold on us in more ways than just the 2A is concerned.

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Five_Point_Five_Six View Post
    Considering they waged war and overthrew a tyrannical govt and formed a new country, I'd say they'd be pretty frickin' disgusted by how we've let the govt put a choke hold on us in more ways than just the 2A is concerned.
    The anti federalists would be saying, “see, I told you so” and the federalists would be saying, “you anti federalists were correct.”

  7. #27
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    I may not agree with our current NFA laws, but it’s hard for me to be sympathetic when he knowingly possessed an illegal, and most likely stolen, weapon. He played the game and got caught. Now does the punishment fit the crime? I don’t think so.
    Psalm 34:19

    To argue with a person who renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. ~ Thomas Paine

  8. #28
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    Swing and a miss ATF.


    But hey someone probably got their 14 or 15 out of it


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    “Answer The Bell...” J.W.

  9. #29
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    This story reminds me of the old adage; All because something is legal does not make it right and all because something is illegal does not make it wrong.

    From the linked article:

    The 70-year-old Vietnam veteran even served as the president of his homeowners association. Thus, when the ATF raided his home last year it came as a shock to friends like Mark Shackelford.


    Shackelford learned later that authorities were looking for and seized an M14 rifle that Pick had bought at a Fort Worth gun show in the early eighties.


    The raid and arrest on Pick’s Plano home came two weeks after his wife of 40 years died of cancer. They were using marijuana, which authorities found and added another criminal charge.
    So BATFE raids his home for an unregistered MG that he bought almost forty years ago? While executing their search warrant they happen upon his marijuana that he had for his recently deceased wife who was battling cancer so they tack on a possession charge.

    IMHO I think the only thing this guy did wrong was show off his collection, he bragged to someone about his unregistered M14 otherwise how would said person know it was full-auto and it's serial number scratched out?


    As a taxpayer I would feel a lot better if the BATFE focused their efforts on actual criminal elements that they know to be armed; MS-13, jihadist enclaves, etc. rather than a widower senior citizen who received a Silver Star.
    Last edited by Moose-Knuckle; 10-18-18 at 17:42. Reason: typo
    "In a nut shell, if it ever goes to Civil War, I'm afraid I'll be in the middle 70%, shooting at both sides" — 26 Inf


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  10. #30
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    A M14 bought at an 80's Texas gun show covers a lot of territory. Question I have was it a functional FA or one of the reweld semi's that were around back then that were legal then illegal.
    “The Trump Doctrine is ‘We’re America, Bitch.’ That’s the Trump Doctrine.”

    "He is free to evade reality, he is free to unfocus his mind and stumble blindly down any road he pleases, but not free to avoid the abyss he refuses to see."

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