MikeK
Gold Member
My thoughts about this situation are moving in the same direction.That state needs a new motto.
Like this:
New New Hampshire motto- "Grovel, or we lock you up!" Except, this guy already did that; didn't help.
For some cops the handgun is (as much as if not more than the badge) an important element of their superimposed authority. It is a menacingly manifest symbol of power. Such individuals unhappily tolerate lawful civilian ownership of handguns and will take advantage of any opportunity to emphasize the limitations imposed on such ownership. In this example they arrested a law-abiding citizen for what in fact is a rather benign (malum prohibitum) technical violation which occurred during a perfectly reasonable, justifiable display of and expedient threat with a lawfully owned firearm.
The law which prohibits discharge of a firearm within residential areas exists mainly to prevent irresponsible recreational shooting. This situation is an obvious exception.
One thing this man could do if he wishes to minimize the potential punishment for his "offense" is to claim accidental discharge because he was nervous. That will cost him his right to own guns but it will prevent his being charged with a deliberate violation of the law. But as it is I strongly doubt anything serious will come of this rather stupid exercise of police authority.
If the gun laws of most states were strictly observed just about every cop in those states is guilty of a violation when they routinely draw and aim their handguns at suspects with no substantive expectation of need to defend themselves or others with deadly force.
While I do not generally subscribe to the tired Freudian cliche which holds that firearms are a psychological extension of the penis, there are situations that seem to support that notion.
Last edited: