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April 29, 2007
Stockpiling Weapons is Illegal?
Stockpiling Weapons is Illegal? I must have missed the memo. Interesting. I was wondering when the BATF would get around to going after the "terrorists" at home. Didn't take much to see this coming:
COLLINSVILLE, Ala. — Federal and state agents have uncovered a small arsenal of home-made weapons that included a rocket launcher, 130 hand grenades and 70 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) similiar to the kind used by insurgents against American GIs in Iraq.
Agents also recovered enough live ammo to fill a U-Haul trailer, U.S. Attorney Alice Martin said Thursday. Agents earlier that day busted the caches of a group calling itself "The Free Militia."
Those in custody aren't being charged with any plot to use the grenades against anyone, however, but will be charged with weapons possession and stockpiling.[emphasis added]
Now, last time I checked, owning grenades and IED's was illegal. And fully automatic weapons are Class III weapons requiring a federal permit. But now they're claiming that "stockpiling" weapons is illegal? OK. I'll bite. What's the definition of a "stockpile"? More than one? Is this some new double-speak to fool people, like the "high powered rifle"? (Last time I checked, there was no such thing as a "medium-powered" or "low-powered" rifle.)
Now they're going to be busting people for "stockpiling" weapons. My guess is that the new charge of "Stockpiling weapons" will equate to posessing more than one firearm or more than seventeen bullets.
Posted by Rob Kiser on April 29, 2007 at 3:07 AM
Comments
I believe that that picture you have of yourself with your arsenal arrayed before you is the very picute the ATF is looking for for their "Uncle Sam Wants You" Poster explaining the definition of "stockpiling." Beware the Ides of any month!
Posted by: sl on April 29, 2007 at 10:09 PM
Rob Kiser has done more to "keep guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals" than the Brady Bunch ever has.
By the time he's done collecting them all, there will be none left on the streets for the criminals to obtain.
Posted by: anonymous coward on May 1, 2007 at 7:51 PM
Most likely it's just media incompetence, incorrectly reporting the actual proposed charges.
They're worse with gun law accuracy than BATFE, which at least has to convince a judge there's an offense.
Posted by: Sigivald on May 2, 2007 at 2:06 PM
I'm unclear on something; what is the difference between an arsenal and a stockpile? I've always thought that I had a small arsenal, but I may be wrong.
Posted by: BobG on May 2, 2007 at 7:23 PM
Well, it depends on how you define "arsenal". I've always thought that, technically, an arsenal was where weapons were manufactured. As in produced. However, the definition appears to have mutated to allow for a place where weapons are stored as well.
Posted by: Rob Kiser on May 2, 2007 at 8:08 PM
"I'm unclear on something; what is the difference between an arsenal and a stockpile?"
Hell, I'm unclear on the difference between "stockpile" and "collection".
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life on May 3, 2007 at 7:50 AM
Read this post by Dave Hardy:
...the Gov. is "troubled that Virginia law allows any individual to stockpile ammunition with no way for authorities to monitor the cache," because Cho had 377 rounds of ammo.
...according to this news story, 15 guns is "an arsenal of weapons."
Posted by: Robert on May 24, 2007 at 6:44 PM