Posted on 05/05/2015 4:19:18 PM PDT by navysealdad
A Baltimore police officer charged over the death of Freddie Gray has attempted to compel the Baltimore state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby to produce the knife Gray was arrested for carrying, contending that it was an illegal weapon and as such Gray’s arrest was justified.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
The first loose thread pulled on the poorly woven case.
I’m sorry, but as an RKBA guy, I can’t worry about what kind of knife he had. A knife? Really? Depending on definitions and interpretations? Shoot, they should see what I carry. I ain’t sweating knife definitions. Sorry.
Freddie Gray’s Knife – Why is Prosecutor Claiming Unlawful Arrest?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3285581/posts
Another poorly spoken word from this dingbat The defense has a right to see the evidence before the trial, not during the trial.
She will be compelled to release to the defense. Like to see the chain of control over the evidence in this one. How did she end up with the evidence?
If I was writing it as a “Rough Ride Comedy!” like “Police Academy,” there would be four or five drop knives, zip-guns, shanks and switchblades around his body by the time CSI arrived.
LOL!
I wish they would release details on the knife such as make/model.
Knife laws vary and are all over the map in the US:
http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/USKnife.pdf
Shouldn’t the knife be in police custody? And if it’s not, why not?
he was a convicted felon, no knives allowed
The States don't see it that way. I disagree, but the reality is the States treat knives differently.
I am working to make a change to that. It is slow.
/johnny
Good thing at least two cops saw that knife. Otherwise, I could see Mizz Mosby doing a SWITCH-A-ROO to a different one. She might STILL try and do that, then claim she knows nothing about it.
I agree, Johnny.
I see it no different than he had a legal 7 round 1911 mag in his .45, or an illegal 8 round mag. Really? You go to jail for that? Really? Like a folding knife with a “legal” 3.5” blade, or an “illegal” 3.6” blade in some jurisdictions. If that’s the charge, I’m not on board.
Assisted-opening knives from Wikipedia:
“When the knife is in the closed position, the blade is held in place by means of torsion springs and an additional blade lock (optional). As the user applies manual pressure to the thumbstud to open the knife, a mechanism such as a torsion spring moves along a track in the liner and rapidly rotates the blade into the open and locked position.[1]
“Although commonly confused with switchblade knives, a switchblade can be opened automatically simply with the push of a button, but the user of an assisted-opening knife must open it about one-quarter of the way (45°) before the mechanism opens the knife the rest of the way.[4] The difference is important legally; because the blade does not open simply “by the push of a button or by force of gravity” the assisted-opening knife is typically not considered a switchblade,[5] and may escape the restrictions applying to those in many places.
“Additionally, despite the explicit illegal classification of switchblade knives in the UK, assisted opening knives remain permissible to own.[6]. . .”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted-opening_knife
Period.
Doesn't keep the State from using wrong law to bust someone though.
/johnny
I have always been fascinated by all kinds of edged weapons and tools. I own probably a couple of hundred most of them purchased 30-40 years ago when I could afford them.
In addition to a shotgun and two pistols, I keep an axe, sword and a Fiskars hatchet handy near my bed. Not really sure why. For some reason, swords or knives in the hands of a suspicious person has always bothered me. The idea of a mugger slashing me with a Spyderco gives me the shivers.
Romans and Carthaginians literally killed hundreds of thousands with edged weapons. They can be as deadly up close as anything.
Case is pretty solid regardless of the knife and whether the arrest was proper or not.
The meat of the charge is causing the death of Freddie Gray. The prosecutor feels that all 6 are within varying degrees guilty. I don’t know if they *all* are guilty or *all* should be charged but I think some of them should. Namely the driver and any cops riding along that were assigned or asked to ride along as it pertains to Freddie Gray’s death.
Regarding the op: I see no upside for the BPD picking a fight with the State Attorney.
The real guilty one, the one that wanted to do a little extra judicial torture on Freddie should cop a plea and help his brothers out who were only just there. Technically they all should have done something if they were present and knew what was going on, but realistically some of them might not speak up in fear of breaking the code.
Indeed.
Maybe 30 years ago, I looked up the Florida statute on concealed weapons.
To my surprise, one of the things listed as forbidden was simply listed as “Buck Knife”. I suspect the statute was referring to the Buck 110 but as written it could surely have been interpreted as any Buck knife.
I am sure it has been changed by now but it does show just how stupid some laws are.
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