BREAKING: Prosecutor in Shaneen Allen Case Asks to Delay Trial, Might Back Off Charges Against Single Mom
From "Guns Save Lives":

The prosecutor in the Shaneen Allen case has asked the judge to delay the trial while he reevaluates the charges against her.

Read more: http://controversialtimes.com/news/breaking-prosecutor-in-shaneen-allen-case-asks-to-delay-trial-might-back-off-charges-against-single-mom/#ixzz3DFeNaaGE

We're glad to hear that.   Yes, this was a victimless crime.  Except, of course, for Ms Allen who was to be persecuted (not just 'prosecuted') for her honesty, and for her exercise of her 2nd Amendment Rights.

UPDATE: September 24, 2014
A Philadelphia mother facing prison time for bringing her legally registered gun into New Jersey will be allowed into a diversion program, after the attorney general clarified a directive that had expanded New Jersey's gun law.* see the AG memo here *
H/T: Of Arms And The Law

In earlier articles, I had mentioned that it seemed a miscarriage of justice that she be imprisoned for 'crossing a bridge".  Comments on the article seemed "indignantly smug" when declaring that ignorance is, in fact, no excuse.

The End of the Hiatus

Regular viewers may have noticed that I haven't report about USPSA (Practical Pistol) matches I have attended lately.  The reason is simple:  I haven't been to many since "I Blew Up My Gun".  Over a year ago.

I did try to shoot a match at the Dundee club a few months back, but as I reported at the time, that came to No Good End.  Ammunition fizzled because it was reloaded with 'old' gunpowder which had apparently drawn moisture.   It was, of course, the best USPSA match I even attended in which I fired less than a single magazine.

Today, after months of encouragement from my good friend (and fellow Linguica Pizza Aficionado) The Homeless Brasser, I took advantage of the Bi-Mart sale on .45ACP ammunition ... "$19.97 per box of 50, as many boxes as we have" ... and took my Beloved Kimber to a match at the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club!

More Guns/Less Crime: Confirmed

Disarming Realities: As Gun Sales Soar, Gun Crimes Plummet:
(May 14, 2013)

A couple of new studies reveal the gun-control hypesters’ worst nightmare…more people are buying firearms, while firearm-related homicides and suicides are steadily diminishing. What crackpots came up with these conclusions? One set of statistics was compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice. The other was reported by the Pew Research Center.

(H/T: The Hobo Brasser)

I had heard this claim parenthetically, but not having the gumption to do my own research I have never bothered to confirm it for myself (although I have bought, and read, John Lott's book).

Now I am informed of a May, 2013 Forbes article which provides links to the source material. (There is an accompanying May, 2013, CNN article which addresses the PEW report.)   The study covers the 20 year period between 1993 and 2013.

Something that surprised me;  the report also discusses briefly a few sociological issues which are parenthetical ... but vitally important ... factors in the murder/suicide rates which are the key elements:

99 comments

New York Times readers are a funny bunch.

"WE DON"T NEED GUNS!  ANYONE WHO OWNS A GUN IS A BAD PERSON!"


That's the upshot of Reader Comments in a recent NYT article which begins with the question:
"Will a gun retailer get away with negligence?"

(An alternative title might be: " Gun Control and the New York Times Mindset".)

Thanks to David Codrea, I just spent an interesting evening reviewing an August 28, 2014, article on Gun Control in the New York Times.  The link is provided below.

The author's presumptions were 90% lucid, until the last paragraph of the article.

The comments were ... illuminating.

It's Always Tea Time, in Wonderland

When it comes to firearms legislation, New Jersey is to 'the real world' is as Wonderland is to ... well, the real world!

No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money: "There Is No Justice For Gun Owners In New Jersey":

The headline, "there is no justice for gun owners in New Jersey", is a statement by Brian Aitken on the treatment that he and Shaneen Allen have received from that state's justice system. He is featured in a new NRA News Report by Ginny Simone entitled "Accidental Criminals: Brian Aitken is Living the Nightmare".

There is a comment about jury nullification somewhere in there, and it's extremely  important to include as a trial option of a "jury of your peers"  ... those people who are asked to consider whether to deprive a citizen of his or her civil rights because of confusion, mistakes, ignorance of the law or any other circumstance which threaten to turn an honest citizen into a felon.

"Ignorance of the law is no excuse" 
     ... or ...
                            “You would have to be half mad to dream me up.” 

We have all heard that tired bromide about ignorance of the law, but the truth is that everyone is ignorant of the law.  Look at ObamaCare as a splendid example of indecipherable legal jargon.  Look at the 2nd Amendment ... a few words, but thousands of pages of litigation have turned it into a morass of controversy.

BRIAN:
Brian Aitken made every effort to conform to New Jersey laws, but somehow he managed to fall athwart of those Laws.  Apparently it's easier to break the law when you've tried to conform to it.  Thieves, rapists and murderers violation of gun laws are treated as mere details when compared to the crimes of which they are convicted.   Honest citizens are hoist by the petard of the very laws which predators ignore.  And the irony is ... those laws are presumably aimed at the predators, not the law-abiding.

SHANEEN:
Shaneen Allen  drove across a bridge and became a felon.  She was arrested when she naively volunteered during a routine traffic stop stop that she had a gun with her ... a gun which was entirely legal on the other end of the bridge.   She didn't have to volunteer the information; the arresting officer was ignorant of the possession "offense".  Had she been in possession of a license to have the gun in NJ, she would have been allowed to go on her way with nothing more than a traffic ticket.  She HAD a license to carry the gun in her home state, but she had been caught up in the tornado of NJ law ... much like Alice in Wonderland, where all the rules are changed,  (This was the source of the major quotes here.)

Both of these convicted felons un-knowingly broke the laws of New Jersey.  Aitken received clemency from the NJ governor; Allen is hoping that she will receive the same consideration, and be freed from jail.

And they will continue to have it on their record:  they are felons, and forever they will be disallowed from their civil rights --- including the right to vote, and the right to self-defense of their homes, their families, and themselves.

The best defense is a sympathetic Jury
                    ... or ... "Off With Their Heads!"

"Wherever"? Whatever

"... we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are."

(Barack Obama, September 10, 2014 speech.  see pre-speech transcript here.)

Wherever?

How about our Southern border?  You know, the porous one?

Hmmmm ..... seems like a logical place to start.