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Vanity: Requesting FReeper Advice on Friend's Firearms Bust
vanity | 02/27/2008 | rogue yam

Posted on 02/27/2008 12:31:40 PM PST by rogue yam

Fellow FReepers, please forgive this, my first-ever vanity post. I am seeking advice for my friend who was arrested at Spokane Airport for going through airport security with a handgun in his carry-on bag.

Background: My friend is a responsible, married, small business owner with absolutely no criminal background. He has a valid Washington State concealed carry permit. On the day of his arrest he had been doing some business requiring him to carry cash, so he had also carried (in a small carry bag) a handgun for personal security. He went home and then went to the Spokane Airport to take a short in-state flight for a business trip. Unfortunately he simply forgot to remove his handgun from his carry bag so when he went through security at the airport and he ran his bag through the x-ray machine, the gun was discovered leading to his arrest.

The Airport Police were very reasonable and low-key and he was on his way in twenty minutes (minus his handgun, of course) but my friend is now charged with a Washington State criminal violation, RCW9.41.300, for carrying his handgun into a restricted area.

So here's the reason for my post: My friend is fairly new to that area and does not have local contacts with regard to legal advice, etc. Also, he has never had to deal with anything like this before. He called me to ask for advice as to whether he should plead guilty and/or whether and how he should seek legal representation in this matter.

We both searched for Washington State gun rights contacts and I told him I would post this request for information here on FR.

If any FReepers, and in particular Eastern Washington FReepers, have any suggestions or relevant experience regarding how my friend should proceed to resolve this honest mistake with no criminal intent, I would very much appreciate hearing from you either on this thread or by FReepmail.

Thank you all.

- rogue yam


TOPICS: US: Washington; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: banglist; firearm; secondamendment; washington
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1 posted on 02/27/2008 12:31:43 PM PST by rogue yam
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To: rogue yam

Get a good lawyer....

(I know, stating the obvious, but it’s the CORRECT thing to do)


2 posted on 02/27/2008 12:33:32 PM PST by Rick.Donaldson (http://www.transasianaxis.com - Please visit for lastest on DPRK/Russia/China/et al.)
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To: rogue yam
Advice?

He should hire a good attorney. There's not much any FReepers can do at this point.

3 posted on 02/27/2008 12:33:41 PM PST by TChris ("if somebody agrees with me 70% of the time, rather than 100%, that doesn’t make him my enemy." -RR)
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To: rogue yam; DaveLoneRanger

Dave, Is this something you could help him with?


4 posted on 02/27/2008 12:34:13 PM PST by Friend_from_the_Frozen_North (If you are, as Rush would say, "A Glittering Jewel of Colossal Ignorance" don't waste my time...)
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To: rogue yam

Your friend needs a local Washington State lawyer with criminal defense experience, and he needs to follow that lawyer’s advice— no one else’s.


5 posted on 02/27/2008 12:34:15 PM PST by Lurking Libertarian (Non sub homine, sed sub Deo et lege)
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To: rogue yam
Find a very good lawyer and be prepared to spend alot of money...
6 posted on 02/27/2008 12:34:25 PM PST by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: rogue yam

Might send a post over at thehighroad.org as well. If nothing else someone in the area might be able to point out a good lawyer.


7 posted on 02/27/2008 12:34:25 PM PST by Domandred (McCain's 'R' is a typo that has never been corrected)
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To: rogue yam
...oh, and he should not plead anything until he has hired a good attorney.
8 posted on 02/27/2008 12:34:25 PM PST by TChris ("if somebody agrees with me 70% of the time, rather than 100%, that doesn’t make him my enemy." -RR)
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To: DaveLoneRanger

Firearms-related information requested.


9 posted on 02/27/2008 12:34:29 PM PST by rogue yam
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To: rogue yam

He’s screwed.


10 posted on 02/27/2008 12:34:37 PM PST by Lancer_N3502A
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To: rogue yam
Get a good lawyer...

Take your time mounting a legitimate and unemotional defense...

"No railraoding" by the TSa or anyone else...

For the record...
He should NOT have had the weapon on him....
In any case...

JMHO

11 posted on 02/27/2008 12:35:06 PM PST by Wings-n-Wind (The main things are the plain things!)
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To: rogue yam
Find a good lawyer who is a 2nd Amendment supporter. Generally, they have a better insight to problems like this.

Your friend will have to answer the charges, and most likely after the eveidence is presented, will get probation.

The judgement will center around 'intent'.

12 posted on 02/27/2008 12:35:10 PM PST by Pistolshot (Remember, no matter how bad your life is, someone is watching and enjoying your suffering.)
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To: rogue yam
I'm afraid that without legal representation, or if he pleads guilty, he will lose his legal ability to carry a firearm.

He will need legal representation to plead the charge down to a lesser crime so it doesn't affect his legal ability to carry.

13 posted on 02/27/2008 12:35:19 PM PST by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: rogue yam

Washington State criminal violation, RCW9.41.300, for carrying his handgun into a restricted area.

He violated the law and unfortunately this law sticks!


14 posted on 02/27/2008 12:35:48 PM PST by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: rogue yam

Pardon, but I wouldn’t go before the court on a speeding ticket without a lawyer.


15 posted on 02/27/2008 12:35:53 PM PST by patton (cuiquam in sua arte credendum)
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To: rogue yam
As Ollie North said ... "I'm going to trust in God and a good lawyer".

Hire the best lawyer who specializes in these types of cases. This is very important. DO NOT just hire Joe Blow from the phone book.

16 posted on 02/27/2008 12:37:14 PM PST by AmericaUnited
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To: rogue yam
I suggest that you contact the Second Amendment Foundation, which is based in Bellevue. You might also try the local NRA. Either should be able to direct you to a good local contact.

Good luck to your friend.

17 posted on 02/27/2008 12:37:23 PM PST by r9etb
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To: Domandred
Might send a post over at thehighroad.org as well.

Thanks for the tip.

18 posted on 02/27/2008 12:37:28 PM PST by rogue yam
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To: rogue yam

Methinks your friend is about to pay a severe penalty for his complacency.


19 posted on 02/27/2008 12:37:31 PM PST by papertyger (changing words quickly metastasizes into changing facts -- Ann Coulter)
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To: rogue yam

Like others have said, he should find a good 2nd Amendment-supporting lawyer in the jurisdiction where he is charged, and engage that lawyer’s services.

This was a stupid mistake that unless he is very, very careful *could* snowball into charges that will permanently remove his right to even *own* a firearm.


20 posted on 02/27/2008 12:37:50 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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