Retiree That Legally Defended Himself Sentenced to Prison in New York

[quintessentone]

That sounds like a normal gun collection.

How normal is it to have many illegal and unregistered firearms? It makes me wonder if there was something about him where the authorities would not allow him to own firearms.

[SomeStupidName]

How normal is it to have many illegal firearms?

Most were probably bought before NY changed their laws, Illinois did the same thing so I moved to FL were normal guns and magazines are not illegal.

[quintessentone]

Most were probably bought before NY changed their laws, Illinois did the same thing so I moved to FL were normal guns and magazines are not illegal.

But we don't know that to be true. Just the fact he didn't register them should be a red flag or not. Maybe he's a product of his era, like me, I gave my registered gun to my son who never bothered registering it, but that was one gun, not an arsenal.

I too can understand an older American seeing their right to bear arms without all the red tape. But with the elderly many cognitive disorders may or may not be present, just saying.

[SomeStupidName]

But we don't know that to be true. Just the fact he didn't register them should be a red flag or not. Maybe he's a product of his era, like me, I gave my registered gun to my son who never bothered registering it, but that was one gun, not an arsenal.

I too can understand an older American seeing their right to bear arms without all the red tape. But with the elderly many cognitive disorders may or may not be present, just saying.

I do agree if you decided to stay in a state that requires gun registration then you follow the law, even if you feel it is an infringement of your right you can help try to get the issue pushed to the supreme court then they will have the power to strike it down if it crosses the line. When I realized there was no way around it in Illinois I made the decision to leave before the law became active had I not been able to make that happen I would have follow the law, however you can check the numbers of registered guns in Illinois from the new law and it is very low.

[sahgwa]

I do agree if you decided to stay in a state that requires gun registration then you follow the law, even if you feel it is an infringement of your right you can help try to get the issue pushed to the supreme court then they will have the power to strike it down if it crosses the line. When I realized there was no way around it in Illinois I made the decision to leave before the law became active had I not been able to make that happen I would have follow the law, however you can check the numbers of registered guns in Illinois from the new law and it is very low.

This news made me curious.

Here is a good map:

https://ballotpedia.org/Firearm_registra...s_by_state

[quintessentone]

I do agree if you decided to stay in a state that requires gun registration then you follow the law, even if you feel it is an infringement of your right you can help try to get the issue pushed to the supreme court then they will have the power to strike it down if it crosses the line. When I realized there was no way around it in Illinois I made the decision to leave before the law became active had I not been able to make that happen I would have follow the law, however you can check the numbers of registered guns in Illinois from the new law and it is very low.

I wonder if he identified as a sovereign citizen (?) - sometimes I have had enough of government and too want to forget about all the red tape for some things, not major law infringements, but registering a gun or deliberately forgetting to register a gun (?)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_...n_movement

[SomeStupidName]

This news made me curious.

Here is a good map:

https://ballotpedia.org/Firearm_registra...s_by_state

That link shows there is no registration in IL which there actually is.

he Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA), signed on January 10, 2023, requires Illinois residents to register, or file an affidavit for, certain firearms classified as "assault weapons" with the Illinois State Police (ISP). Individuals who legally possessed these specific firearms, accessories, or high-capacity magazines before the law took effect had until January 1, 2024, to register them to be "grandfathered". Key details of the Illinois registration law:

• Registration Scope: The law mandates registration of specific assault weapon models, large-capacity magazines (over 10 rounds for long guns, 15 for handguns), and "switches".
  
• Compliance & Deadlines: Owners of covered weapons acquired before Jan. 10, 2023, were required to submit an affidavit through their Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card account by Jan. 1, 2024.
  
• Penalties: Failure to register can lead to criminal penalties, with possession of an unregistered assault weapon constituting a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense, and subsequent offenses or illegal manufacturing/selling carrying higher charges.
  
• Context: This law also banned the future sale, purchase, and manufacture of these weapons in Illinois.
  
• Status: Compliance rates were reported to be low, with roughly 30,000 to 35,000 individuals registering items by the deadline. 
  

 

[SomeStupidName]

I wonder if he identified as a sovereign citizen (?) - sometimes I have had enough of government and too want to forget about all the red tape for some things, not major law infringements, but registering a gun or deliberately forgetting to register a gun (?)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_...n_movement

I don't buy the sovereign citizen charade. You are an United States citizen or can leave those are the options.

[quintessentone]

I don't buy the sovereign citizen charade. You are an United States citizen or can leave those are the options.

Well, supposedly it's a growing movement in the USA and Europe and other countries too.

Here's another example:

"In March, sovereign Curtis Gregory Smith Jr. of Middletown, Pennsylvania, was convicted and sentenced to up to 56 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a half-dozen firearms, body armor, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, some of it categorized as “NATO grade” and meant for war zones.  "

https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extr...-movement/

The guy we are talking about in this thread supposedly pleased guilty so as to avoid a 25 years prison sentence in exchange for a 4 year one.

[MrGashler77]

Seems to me he had a small armoury of unregistered weapons, and that was what he was convicted of.

You can't claim that he has so many weapons for the purpose of self defense? One or two, possibly, but 26 of 'em?

He can't use that many at once,

Sounds like he was armed up ready for acts of domestic terrorist sedition, or was an arms dealer, or both.

There is no requirement to demonstrate need in order to exercise your rights, and you're making an awful lot of leaps there.
If even 25% of americans who are armed to the teeth were doing so with the intent of carrying out acts of terror they would have to call in the marines.