Anti Federalist
04-02-2013, 11:58 AM
You and I are next.
I've chipped in for RPH's freedom rides, for Roger Pion's defense, for children's toys for Sandy victims, for a number of causes.
This one is worthy.
Spread this around, maybe we can keep this man out of prison.
http://www.gofundme.com/2clmcw
Ben's story:
New York's 'SAFE Act' scores twofer in claiming its first victim
March 25, 2013
By: Kurt Hofmann
http://www.examiner.com/article/new-york-s-safe-act-scores-twofer-claiming-its-first-victim
It was only a matter of time before New York's draconian new gun law, the obscenely misnamed "SAFE Act," claimed its first victim Since the oppressive new law was forced through with such haste (and "under a veil of secrecy in the dark of night," as the NRA put it), and signed by Governor Cuomo (who is already scrambling to change this "Most Stupid Gun Law Ever Made") into law immediately (because the required three-day public comment period apparently frightened supporters of the law), it ends up not having been much time for that first victim.
Our alleged "gun criminal" is Benjamin M. Wassell, and his supposed "crime" is selling both an AR-15 pattern rifle and a (similar, but larger) AR-10 pattern rifle, both of which had supposedly been upgraded by Mr. Wassell with such now-verboten "assault features" as a pistol grip (prompting one clever wag to comment: "He tried to sell a rifle with a grip on it? Whew, that was a close call. Someone could have been able to hold it.")
.
Silver Creek Man Charged with Violating SAFE Act.
And oh, what a prize for the gun haters this first victim is. You see, not only is he a gun owner, and thus already an enemy in the "progressives'" culture war against Americans, our alleged "gun criminal" is also a war hero and former Marine--and thus doubly an enemy of the anti-gun left. From the Buffalo News:
“
He’s an Iraq War hero who, despite a traumatic brain injury from an improvised explosive device that destroyed his vehicle back in 2006, was able to lead other wounded Marines through a minefield to safety, according to loved ones and military records.
Too bad, according to anti-gun New York "authorities" (and yes, this column is aware of the redundancy), who are so eager to imprison someone for selling rifles that can be easily held that they are sending in the big guns (no pun intended) for the prosecution (or persecution, more accurately):
“
In a sign of how important authorities are taking this first case involving the new gun control law, the New York State Attorney General’s Office is handling the prosecution rather than the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant Attorney General Paul McCarthy, assigned to the case, said a special request was made to State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman to handle the case.
And Schneiderman is wasting no time trying to convict Mr. Wassell in the court of public opinion. From Guns.com:
“
“By selling these illegal firearms, Mr. Wassell’s actions had potentially dangerous consequences for New Yorkers,” said state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “We have seen far too much gun violence in our state in recent months, and the sale of illegal semiautomatic weapons will not go unpunished.”
One aspect of the case likely to prompt even ostensibly "pro-gun" observers to refuse to stand with Mr. Wassell is that the buyer (an undercover cop--this was an entrapment "sting" operation) reportedly told Wassell before the second sale that he had a felony conviction, and was thus a "prohibited purchaser" under federal law--which allegedly did not phase Mr. Wassell:
“
During the second transaction, which was already illegal under the NY SAFE Act (the AR-10 had one military-style cosmetic feature), the investigator set another tripwire by telling Wassell that he was a convicted felon. Instead of terminating the sale, Wassell remarked, “The whole felony, banned-for-life thing, it’s stupid.”
Why, the nerve. It's almost as if he believes that "anyone who can't be trusted with a gun can't be trusted without a custodian," a position this column emphatically shares with National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea.
If Wassell is convicted on all counts, this American hero faces seven years in prison, for victimless "crimes" such as selling guns with unauthorized handles (the feds don't like that, either). Having almost died defending the American way of life, he would be denied it.
That is beyond disgusting. That is intolerable.
I've chipped in for RPH's freedom rides, for Roger Pion's defense, for children's toys for Sandy victims, for a number of causes.
This one is worthy.
Spread this around, maybe we can keep this man out of prison.
http://www.gofundme.com/2clmcw
Ben's story:
New York's 'SAFE Act' scores twofer in claiming its first victim
March 25, 2013
By: Kurt Hofmann
http://www.examiner.com/article/new-york-s-safe-act-scores-twofer-claiming-its-first-victim
It was only a matter of time before New York's draconian new gun law, the obscenely misnamed "SAFE Act," claimed its first victim Since the oppressive new law was forced through with such haste (and "under a veil of secrecy in the dark of night," as the NRA put it), and signed by Governor Cuomo (who is already scrambling to change this "Most Stupid Gun Law Ever Made") into law immediately (because the required three-day public comment period apparently frightened supporters of the law), it ends up not having been much time for that first victim.
Our alleged "gun criminal" is Benjamin M. Wassell, and his supposed "crime" is selling both an AR-15 pattern rifle and a (similar, but larger) AR-10 pattern rifle, both of which had supposedly been upgraded by Mr. Wassell with such now-verboten "assault features" as a pistol grip (prompting one clever wag to comment: "He tried to sell a rifle with a grip on it? Whew, that was a close call. Someone could have been able to hold it.")
.
Silver Creek Man Charged with Violating SAFE Act.
And oh, what a prize for the gun haters this first victim is. You see, not only is he a gun owner, and thus already an enemy in the "progressives'" culture war against Americans, our alleged "gun criminal" is also a war hero and former Marine--and thus doubly an enemy of the anti-gun left. From the Buffalo News:
“
He’s an Iraq War hero who, despite a traumatic brain injury from an improvised explosive device that destroyed his vehicle back in 2006, was able to lead other wounded Marines through a minefield to safety, according to loved ones and military records.
Too bad, according to anti-gun New York "authorities" (and yes, this column is aware of the redundancy), who are so eager to imprison someone for selling rifles that can be easily held that they are sending in the big guns (no pun intended) for the prosecution (or persecution, more accurately):
“
In a sign of how important authorities are taking this first case involving the new gun control law, the New York State Attorney General’s Office is handling the prosecution rather than the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant Attorney General Paul McCarthy, assigned to the case, said a special request was made to State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman to handle the case.
And Schneiderman is wasting no time trying to convict Mr. Wassell in the court of public opinion. From Guns.com:
“
“By selling these illegal firearms, Mr. Wassell’s actions had potentially dangerous consequences for New Yorkers,” said state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “We have seen far too much gun violence in our state in recent months, and the sale of illegal semiautomatic weapons will not go unpunished.”
One aspect of the case likely to prompt even ostensibly "pro-gun" observers to refuse to stand with Mr. Wassell is that the buyer (an undercover cop--this was an entrapment "sting" operation) reportedly told Wassell before the second sale that he had a felony conviction, and was thus a "prohibited purchaser" under federal law--which allegedly did not phase Mr. Wassell:
“
During the second transaction, which was already illegal under the NY SAFE Act (the AR-10 had one military-style cosmetic feature), the investigator set another tripwire by telling Wassell that he was a convicted felon. Instead of terminating the sale, Wassell remarked, “The whole felony, banned-for-life thing, it’s stupid.”
Why, the nerve. It's almost as if he believes that "anyone who can't be trusted with a gun can't be trusted without a custodian," a position this column emphatically shares with National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea.
If Wassell is convicted on all counts, this American hero faces seven years in prison, for victimless "crimes" such as selling guns with unauthorized handles (the feds don't like that, either). Having almost died defending the American way of life, he would be denied it.
That is beyond disgusting. That is intolerable.