MARYLAND GUN OWNERS ARE BEING COERCED BY FEDS TO TURN IN THEIR GUNS FOR 'BALLISTIC TESTING' !!!

TheFiringLine.com ^ | 17 October 2002 | Vigilant1

[Vigilant1]

Over at TheFiringLine.com, there are many reports from credible long-time posters that the feds are intimidating Maryland gun owners into 'voluntarily' turning over their guns for 'ballistic testing'. Please check out the following discussion threads:

5000 rifles turned-in, in Maryland?

A Special Note To Maryland Gun Owners

Goodbye TFL- for now

This is a realization of the worst fears of gunowners. Feds showing up at your door, demanding you turn over your guns. Threats and intimidation. Absolute proof that the fedgov keeps lists of who owns what guns. This is our Orwellian nightmare come true. If you turn over your guns to the feds, good luck getting them back! Perhaps Maryland is just a test case for federal gun confiscation techniques? We'll see....

[Alberta's Child]

Indeed. They're under pressure to find the perp. Look at the way the FBI has treated Hatfill.

Correction -- they're under pressure to find a non-Islamic perp.

I've actually got a fascinating take on this whole thing. I have no inside information, but after stringing a bunch of things together I've managed to come up with a very interesting scenario. I think I'll post it as a vanity tomorrow if nothing happens tonight . . .

[vnix]

That's a damn shame.. Much as I'd like to hep da gubment, I lost all mt rifles and shotguns when I was out in the boat duckhuntin. Golly gee shucks. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

[glock rocks]

[aeronca]

MARYLAND GUN OWNERS ARE BEING COERCED BY FEDS TO TURN IN THEIR GUNS FOR 'BALLISTIC TESTING' !!!

But it was reported today that CCW applications in that state are up 500% (according to a report on FNC)

[bvw]

Another technique would be to say to the "agent" -- "Sir, at this time I must inform you that I may record this call for reviewe by my attorney."

[aristeides]

Didn't Linda Tripp find out that such recording is illegal in Maryland without the other party's permission?

[Vigilant1]

ct21:
"1st: Purchase a tape recorder that can monitor your phone."

DO NOT DO THIS! IT IS ILLEGAL!!!

It is a serious misdemeanor in the state of Maryland to audio tape someone without their knowlege. It is a seperate and equally serious offense to play such a tape for anyone. Prosecutors have no sense of humor on this offense, and demand and get jail time for it.

[bvw]

Okay, then make it "At this time, I must inform you you that I may tape this call, and by continuing in this conversation you are giving consent to such taping." Or some such -- hey I'm no lawyer, just giving some common sense advice.

[bvw]

As I remember from the Linda Trip go-round that the laws banning tapeing of conservations that one is a participant in are not well tested, and might not stand up to vigorous appeal.

[SteveH]

From a response in the first link (name redacted):

i just was emailed this:

Friends;

I have had e-mail from three people I know in the area with similar stories. I called one of them and confirmed the details. In his case he called a lawyer and the lawyer called the LEO. No details past that except for the impression that the calls to citizens were being initiated after the ATF (or others) visited gun shops and copied information from ATF #4477 Forms. A visit to a store confirms this has happened.

My cases are confined to the Montgomery County area. I have no evidence from other areas, but...

PLEASE. If you have bonified accounts of such incidents and the individual involved is willing to write up the account, I would be most interested in getting it ASAP. My reason is to document what is being done and to what extent, in general terms. This will be used (without particulars if the person so chooses) to educate others and to aid into investigations regarding the legality and constitutionally of the actions.

Your help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

XXX XXXXXX, MCSM
Montgomery (County Maryland) Citizens for a Safer Maryland
Personal Protection... Personal Responsibility

A couple of gun rights lawyers were also mentioned in responses as living in the area, one being Stephen Halbrook in Falls Church. Halbrook is IIRC a well known gun rights author and I doubt that the situation has escaped his attention presuming he is in.

[Grut]

What will the NRA have to say?

They'll probably be against it until the government buys them off with a piece of the action.

[aristeides]

Townsend Denies Blame For Lapse Of Maryland Gun Checks . Maryland did not conduct background checks for gun sales: is this how the sniper got his weapon? Federal money sent to MD for this purpose mysteriously gone missing: diverted for Dem political purposes?

[cavtrooper21]

I stand very corrected. This activity is legal in some states and AS IN THIS CASE NOT LEGAL IN OTHERS.... CONSULT WITH A QUALIFIED LAWYER BEFORE ENGAGING IN THIS ACTIVITY..
Thank you for quickly correcting my error and I sincerly hope that no harm was done.

[aristeides]

Halbrook was speaking about gun rights and the sniper on WMAL yesterday evening. He's around.

[Freedom2specul8]

Can you hear it now...

"Sir, if you don't have anything to hide.....why should it bother you"

[SteveH]

Another technique would be to have someone else (eg family member not a gun owner) take all calls or transfer call to him/her and have him/her do all the talking. That just puts one more layer for any potential down the road court proceedings (as in "dynamic entry seemed justified under circumstances, by the lack of cooperation and belligerence of the gun owner's response"). Also puts them on notice that uninvolved innocents are at the home (FWIW, which may not be much these days :-().

[bvw]

"conversations" ... the conservation or records of conversations ... one is merely making a faithful record of the conversation that one is party to. What should the law hold ... that unless all parties consent to keeping out owm memory or writeen record that we are to forget it completely as soon as it is over? That is ridiculous. Why should one be stopped, and by what grant of poer to government, from making a completely faithful record of a conversation that one is party to? Does the government now grant us the right to keep any records?

Shall we be executed for learning to write -- as was done in the Mandarin era of China?

This is a very fundamental natural right -- any record of a converstaion one is part of is one's property, and the perservation of property rights is a duty to any just government -- to allow a law that steals that right to property is a tyrant's grab of power.

[aristeides]

I don't like that law either. I think it was meant to protect corrupt officials. Here it is serving to protect tyrannical officials. I'm just pointing out it is the law.

[spodefly]

I have seen this story on TFL for a few days. I have not seen it anywhere else, except just now when someone posted a link to TFL on talk.politics.guns.

I am not saying it is a hoax, but before we all go off half-cocked (so to speak) we need to verify that this is actually happening. First hand, trustworthy, verifiable absolute knowledge with no mistakes.

Because if it is actually happening, then this country just went down a road that it may never recover from.

[FormerLurker]

Hay people,just why in the hell do you think these shootings are happining in the first place.

That isn't such a farfetched notion. In fact, it appears to be a reasonable possibility...