Via Uncle comes this:

Weapons cache found in home of Rumson man

A Rumson man reported to be despondent over financial problems surrendered to police after a cache of weapons — including an illegal assault rifle — was found in his home, authorities said…

Removed from the home were two handguns, a 15 round magazine, and two rifles, including an imitation M1 Carbine, which is illegal assault weapon in New Jersey, according to the chief. [emphasis Murdoc's]

Now, let’s ignore for a moment the silliness of calling an M1 Carbine an “assault weapon” of any kind. (Even the silliness of the term as used by the Federal AWB didn’t include the M1 Carbine.) The M1 Carbine is an “assault rifle” in New Jersey, and that’s that.

It says “imitation.” An imitation is called “an illegal assault rifle” in the first paragraph of the story. It isn’t until near the end of the last paragraph that they say it’s not real.

Police (”more than a dozen” of them “wearing tactical gear returned armed with assault rifles”) raided the guy’s house after a relative called police because they were “concerned.”

The charge against Seth Kronengold is “possession of an assault rifle.”

He is charged with possessing An. Imitation. M1. Carbine.

MORE: It wasn’t clear from that story that the weapon he was facing charges on was the imitation M1 Carbine, but this story indicates that the fourth weapon was a shotgun. Two handguns, a shotgun, and an imitation M1 Carbine.

Also, the second story’s headline says the man was “barricaded” and a third headline calls the situation a “standoff.”

Here’s how those stories describe it:

Police requested bullet-proof gear and rifles after they entered a million-dollar, 7 Ridge Road home to check on the well-being of its sole resident, but found assault rifle ammo and a Kevlar helmet just inside the door.

The man’s aunt requested police check on his well-being at 9:45 a.m. and they responded, police said. The man had not paid his taxes, his car was recently repossessed and relatives had not heard or seen from him in a long time, Rumson chief Richard Tobias said.

Receiving no response from inside the home, police entered, saw the dangerous combination of assault gear and called for help, Rumson chief, Richard Tobias said.

Now, we don’t know the full story. We don’t know the condition this guy was in. But all stories say that he never threatened police or anyone.

Barricade. Standoff. Imitation M1 Carbine.

Amazing.

Not at all gun-related: A great series of pictures forwarded to me by a reader of pulling the jet from the Hudson River.

Additional details of the Plaxico Burress incident came to light at the New York Giants wide receiver’s arraignment yesterday afternoon. For earlier GP coverage, see this and this.

In the New York Times:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the Police Department criticized the Giants, who they said neglected to notify the authorities of the shooting, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where Burress was treated, for failing to call the police about his gun-related injury, as state law requires.

The NFL says that it did, in fact, contact the police. Burress is out on $100,000 bail.

Here’s the story of what went down:

Burress arrived at the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan at 1:20 a.m. Saturday morning, with four others, including two teammates.

The criminal complaint, released by prosecutors Monday, said that an onlooker then saw Burress near the V.I.P. area of the club holding a drink in his left hand and fidgeting his right hand in the area of the waistline of his pants. The witness then heard a single “pop” sound before hearing Burress say, “Take me to the hospital.”

Burress was on the ground, with his legs shaking, when a bloody gun — a .40-caliber Glock pistol — fell out of his pant leg and onto the floor, the onlooker said. Investigators believe that Pierce was standing next to Burress when the gun went off. The bullet, which broke through the skin of Burress’s right thigh and pierced muscle tissue, traveled through the leg before lodging itself somewhere in the club.

The handgun was later found, minus magazine and with an empty chamber, in teammate Antonio Pierce’s vehicle.

I think it’s safe to say that no one was following any safety rules. Or common sense. Or the law, for that matter.

Expect the Brady Bunch to jump on this and claim that Burress represents one of the “law abiding gun owners” and, as one, is an example of why gun ownership should be outlawed. Never mind that Burress was in possession of an illegal gun without a permit to carry any concealed weapon in a state that didn’t honor the permit he previously had in an establishment that serves alcohol and was drinking.

Plaxico Burress & Antonio Pierce partying after their Super Bowl win in February

He surrendered to New York City police this morning, and more details about this incident are emerging:

[His lawyer, Benjamin] Brafman said Burress held a gun permit in Florida. Online records show that the permit expired May 21. Even if it were renewed, it would not matter. According to New York law, one must hold a New York gun permit to carry a concealed weapon in the state. Burress does not.

Burress also did not have a permit to carry a firearm in New Jersey, his state of residence, according to Chief Robert Coyle of the Totowa Police Department. He added that a Florida permit was not recognized in New Jersey. “He wouldn’t be able to carry here at all,” he said.

Linebacker Antonio Pierce is directly involved as he appears to have carried Burress’ gun into New Jersey.

The story includes some comments by Giants co-owner and president John Mara:

To prevent situations like Burress’s, the league and its teams meet with players every year to try to educate them about gun possession and the complications of it, Mara said.

“Players, for whatever reason, feel the need to carry guns,” Mara said before the game. “It’s not something that we’re particularly pleased about, but that is the choice that they make. You’d like to think that most of them are licensed to do that, but I’m not sure that is always the case.”

Just a week ago I pointed out a post at Rustmeister’s Alehouse discussing security issues surrounding NFL players.

Uncle points out that Mike Ditka says the NFL should prohibit players from owning guns.

What’s a bigger problem in the NFL? Gun incidents or motor vehicle incidents? I’d be there are a thousand speeding/DUI/accident stories involving NFL players for every gun-related story.

I missed the part where Ditka said the NFL should prohibit players from owning cars.

And, yes, I’m aware that there’s a difference between owning guns and owning cars.

The difference is that one of them is a God-given right that is guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

UPDATE: Link to the NYT story corrected to point to the same story it pointed to when I wrote this. More details about exactly what happened: Burress Arraigned; More Details

What is America coming to?

via Sebastian.

Over at Sebastian’s: New Jersey Gun Ban Up For Vote

On Monday, November 17, the New Jersey Assembly is scheduled to vote on A2116 — legislation banning most firearms over .50 caliber. Though previously amended in an attempt to address gun owner concerns, the legislation still bans many popular hunting guns, historical firearms, and large bore target firearms, based on alleged public safety concerns. Ironically, the legislation bans many of the guns that won the very freedoms the bill seeks to destroy, including some Revolutionary War and Civil War guns and their replicas.

What I find ironic is that we always hear about how the Founding Fathers would never have meant the Second Amendment to mean things like assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. What they meant was that firearms in use at the time of the writing of the Bill of Rights were protected.

And now New Jersey is looking to ban those very weapons. It would be interesting to look through the long and storied history of New Jersey gun bans to see how many times the “we’re just trying to ban the guns criminals use” argument was used. Now that practically everything else has been banned or very heavily restriced in the state, they’re turning to muzzle loaders.

How many crimes are committed with muzzle loaders?

Ryan Narcisco, a 20-year old mall clerk, might go to jail for keeping a BB gun in his car.

Mandatory 3-year sentence, no parole, for unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to a commenter, the NJ definition of a firearm

shall also include, without limitation, any firearm which is in the nature of an air gun, spring gun or pistol or other weapon of a similar nature in which the propelling force is a spring, elastic band, carbon dioxide, compressed or other gas, or vapor, air or compressed air, or is ignited by compressed air, and ejecting a bullet or missile smaller than three-eighths of an inch in diameter, with sufficient force to injure a person.

Via Instapundit.

Comment on the Jersey gun ration:

OK, so NJ “limits” you to one gun a month. Then SCOTUS rules gun ownership is an individual right. So everyone is now ENTITLED to one gun a month.

Not sure if that would stand up to scrutiny. But it sounds good to me.

They apparently vote today on NJ Assembly bill A-339, which would limit purchases to one handgun in any 30-day period.

Sebastian outlines the current New Jersey requirements, which are more than a bit burdensome and time-consuming already, and notes:

If requiring this for each and every handgun purchase has not been sufficient to stop criminal trafficking of firearms, it’s beyond insane to believe that adding one more requirement, one that rations the number of purchase permits police may issue, is going to be what does the trick.

This, of course, is not really “beyond insane.” Or, rather, it is certainly “beyond insane” to believe that, but that isn’t what those behind the bill really believe. Gun control activists virtually all have a desired end state of “no guns for anyone anywhere.” Some of them will, maybe, deny it, but most of the leadership of the various is pretty clear about their methodology. They intend to nickel and dime their way to total bans.

They get what they can get when they can get it. Require a license. Require an additional purchase permit. Require this. Require that. Limit the number of guns you can buy. Limit the number of days a week guns can be sold. Limit the locations of gun stores. Limit the places you can carry them. Anything at all to chip away at the freedom to buy and own firearms.

So while it’s beyond insane to expect a one gun a month limit to have an impact on crime, it’s not beyond insane to use such a limit to further restrict lawful gun owners.

Scott Bach:

The criminal misuse of any lawful product is not a function of the number of units sold to honest citizens; it’s a function of how effectively society deals with those who misuse them.

Whoa, there, buddy! Not only allow people who don’t break the law to purchase legal products, but ALSO punish lawbreakers?

Now we’re talking crazy.

UPDATE: It passed 47-28.

More Absurdity From NJ

If you legally bought and own a gun that later gets banned, NJ could put you away for 10 years. And you have no way to legally get rid of the offending weapon, by the way.

Sucks to be you if you’re a gun owner in Jersey. Or even if you aren’t a gun owner, for that matter.