One thing our hosts pointed out illustrated the idiocy of gun laws in Massachusetts, and made me thankful, once again, that I live in a free state. The following pic violates the law in Massachusetts that states that only licensed gun owners may transport ammunition, or any components thereof.Here's what he's talking about:
That's A Felony
(See how I've thoughtfully circled the actual felony?)
See, Borepatch (who has his own excellent write-up here) doesn't (yet) have his MA LTC. Owing to MA's insane gun laws, possessing even a single piece of brass is a felony. MA law treats any component of ammunition as ammunition itself, and in MA a LTC or FID is required to own ammunition. Had he left Harvard Sportsmen's Club (where he was the guest of licensed gun owners) with that brass still stuck in his boot, he could potentially have faced life-changing consequences.
Because if you don't have an FID or LTC and possess even one single piece of spent .22LR brass, you are committing a felony in Massachusetts.
Let that sink in. You could visit a friend in MA, hit a gun range, and walk out a dangerous felon. Get stopped by the cops, you could be arrested, charged with a felony, and lose your right to possess a firearm forever for one piece of .22LR brass inadvertently stuck in your boot. Kinda just a little infuckingsane, no? Might make you rethink the whole "Felons shouldn't own guns", don't you think, when you see just how watered down a felony has become.
MA: You're more likely to become a felon for exercising a constitutionally enumerated right here.
That is all.
13 comments:
As bad as that sounds, if you are ever down south and cross over into Mexico, you ain't allowed to carry anything (even a pocketknife). Carrying weapons, ammo and even a knife will get you tossed in jail for years. Two years back, there was a hunter who drove across for the day and forgot he was carrying some 30-06 under the in the back seat (no weapon). They tossed him in prison and it took him years of haggling with the federales and lots of pesos to get back home. And this is in a country where there is an ongoing gang war along the border. http://tijuana.usconsulate.gov/tijuana/warning.html
Will MA ever be free?
Also true for DC (even post Heller).
I've forgotten where I read it, and it was years ago, but I think the Massachusetts law also applies to possession of a single BB. One could have a loose ball from a bearing, of about the same size rolling around on the floorboards of his car and be brought up on charges there, I imagine.
What if one has one of those old-fashioned car ashtrays, weighted down by a bag of shot?
Did it MY way: I don't think so. There are too many "smart" Harvard types who can explain to all of us why the current state of affairs actually makes sense. We're just not smart enough to understand.
I wonder how many MA politicians have LTC's? Maybe mailing a few some pieces of brass would be a helpful illustration of the stupidity.
That is actually dumber and more draconian than Illinois. Even in Illinois, you wouldn't be a felon for the brass. A single live round, sure, but all you need to possess that legally is a FOID card that only takes a month to get once you mail everything in and pay your money.
FOID's not a carry permit, though.
That's not a club you want to be in.
What makes me laugh is the MA quarter and lots of symbols have a Minuteman with his musket. If I stood on MA soil with my musket (yes I own one), I wonder how many felonies I would be committing?
Given that .22LR is plausibly (the statute doesn't define the term specifically) "ammunition for a rifle", and non-residents are exempted from the ban on possessing rifle and shotgun ammunition without an FID, I think a non-resident would get off.
I don't think they'd even bother to charge, for precisely that reason.
(That's one of the reasons why I've always thought "rifle ammunition" vs. "pistol ammunition" laws were extra-stupid, even beyond normal gun control laws.
Between pistol-caliber rifles and T/C pistols in rifle calibers, there's just no way to know whether a given round is legally "rifle ammo" or "pistol ammo" except in the mind of the purchaser or user...)
Bram, if your musket were unloaded you'd be fine. You wouldn't even need a trigger lock.
When they passed the Gun Control Act of 1998, they did it in such haste that they did not exempt pre-1899 guns.
That meant that even muskets needed trigger locks - including the one in the MA statehouse...
also here in western australia .. and as components are considered ammunition they need to be stored as such - safe and all ... even powder!
Storing your powder in a safe is a good way to turn it into a large bomb in a house fire.
Yes, Chris, I KNOW .. obviously the person(s) who drafted and those that passed the legislation didn't!!!
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