A gun tale of two cities - Different laws for Iraq veteran and a television ‘star’

The Washington Times ^ | Thursday, February 21, 2013 | Emily Miller

[deks]

Nathan Haddad, a former Army staff sergeant in New York, was selling his gun magazines when he was arrested for violating a state law prohibiting possession of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. He was arrested and charged with five felonies. This is the crime that David Gregory of NBC News committed in Washington a few months ago; Mr. Gregory was not prosecuted because he’s, umm, well, a celebrity.

The district attorney for Jefferson County, N.Y., offered Sgt. Haddad, now a civilian employee at Fort Drum, N.Y., a deal that would require him to plead guilty to five Class A misdemeanors to avoid going to jail. Sgt. Haddad has several weeks to decide whether to go to trial.

“My first reaction was that I’m going to still be branded as a criminal and probably lose my job,” he told The Washington Times. “The military doesn’t consider a 30-round magazine a weapons system — it is just a component of a weapons system.”

Since his arrest, Sgt. Haddad has sold all his property, including his AR-15 rifle, to pay his lawyer. His New York state permit to carry a gun was taken away, and the sheriff’s office confiscated his pistols. His brother, Michael Haddad, has started a legal-defense fund.

Instead of making us safer, the gun-control laws in Washington and New York only hurt “lawbreakers” such as Sgt. Haddad. Such pointless laws should be repealed. If Mr. Gregory isn’t to be prosecuted, someone who has served his nation shouldn’t be, either. Fair ought to be fair.

Emily Miller is a senior editor for the Opinion pages at The Washington Times.

[Vendome]

Frickin toads.

Toss em out of office and get new reps.