Posted on 10/16/2009 9:07:41 AM PDT by JoeProBono
UNIONTOWN, Pa. – A Pennsylvania Civil War buff faces a felony charge for accidentally firing a 2-pound cannonball through the wall of his neighbor's home. Fifty-four-year-old William Maser had been charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Authorities on Thursday added a felony count of discharging a firearm into an occupied structure.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Firearm? More like munitions.
I think there are serious A.II issues here! /s
Doesn’t say how far away the house was.Are we talking 200 feet or 2000 feet? Was it an accident? Had he discharged it before?
We shouldn’t laugh. This is how wars can get started.
House was 1200 feet away. Ball had ricocheted. It was an accident.
If you’re gonna screw up, might as well go BIG!
You can have my civil war cannon when you pry it from my cold dead hand.
Some unintentional discharges are more significant than others.
OK, I’ve decided that I don’t care that it was an accident, unless it was an entirely unforseen freak of nature type of accident, which in this case it doesn’t look like.
People should be free to do stupid things. But if those stupid things risk the lives and property of others, they should be treated as criminals, and they should pay. This is how others learn to take better care, so the rest of us can live secure in our properties.
If civil war buffs understand that they could actually go to prison if they fire a cannon and put a hole through their neighbor’s house, they will think twice before taking the chance.
If he was a Yankee Civil war buff , I would hang him, if a Rebel ,I would shake his hand and say nice shot, but now you have to repair my home.
If you click the link and read the article behind this, it does say. From the article:
Sacajaweau wrote:
Doesn’t say how far away the house was.Are we talking 200 feet or 2000 feet? Was it an accident? Had he discharged it before?
400 yards, that is close to a quarter mile. This was a big "Oops." Still, sticking him with a felony charge should be difficult. Hard to prove intent. He wasn’t aiming at the structure, and he was a long way away from it. Stupid yes, maybe a criminal misdemeanor. But felonious? I’m not sure that will stick. He needs to get a good lawyer.
Maser has acknowledged firing a homemade cannon outside his house in Georges Township, about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, in early September. The cannonball, about two inches in diameter, ricocheted and hit the neighbor's home about 400 yards away, smashing through a window and a wall before landing in a closet. Police say nobody was hurt.
I'm also curious about his “home made canon.” What was the nature of this thing? Was he shooting a spud gun made from PVC pipes? or did he make this cannon from heavy duty steel pipes and load it with powder and a metal canon ball?
| From the desk of cc2k: |
UNIONtown, so I’m thinking he was a Union man.
You must be referring to the War of Southern Rebellion ;-)
They're going to have trouble with that one. Muzzleloaders aren't "firearms". At least, not in Federal law.
Had someone been hit by the projectile they would have probably needed an entire tube of cannonball wound ointment (Brian Regan joke reference).
Why does the government ramp up every charge? It was an accident. No one was hurt but the guy gets charged with a felony which means he can never own any firearms.
Crippling our people - and turning them into slaves.
Hey, it’s not so bad. Guy’s neighbor could’ve been a Peloponnesian war buff.
No one wants anything to do with Greek fire being flung on your house.
Actually, I was referring to the War of Northern Aggression.
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