New Jersey and New York are being sued for violating FOPA.
The lawsuit seeks more than $3 million in damages for civil rights violations and a permanent injunction forcing the Port Authority to follow Federal law on interstate transport of locked, unloaded firearms that have been secured in luggage and declared by law-abiding citizens.Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition...
The Utah man, Gregg Revell, a real estate broker and family man with no criminal record and a Utah firearms permit, was flying alone from Salt Lake City, UT to Allentown, PA to retrieve a car he bought and drive it home. He was travelling with a firearm for personal protection. As required by Federal law, the firearm was unloaded, cased, locked and inside his luggage when he declared it at check-in in Salt Lake City on March 31, 2005.
Due to an airline-caused baggage error, Mr. Revell missed his connection from Newark to Allentown and had to stay overnight in New Jersey. When he checked in at Newark Airport the next morning to complete his travels, he again declared his firearm, as required by FAA regulations. He was then arrested for possession of a firearm without a New Jersey state license, and imprisoned in Essex County jail for five days until his family arranged bail, which had been initially set unusually high at $15,000 cash (no bond).
Great case because it's very specific and it's got a great plantiff. The plantiff is usually the problem in these cases. If they have a record or known history of drugs or something, it's much harder to win these things in the courts and/or court of public opinion. However, cases with these kinds of down-to-earth plantiffs really can make an impact and they highlight the abuses we can face as gun owners. It shows the public that we're just trying to go about our way in life and abide by the law.
Posted by Bitter at February 27, 2006 08:43 AM | TrackBack