New Jersey actor sentenced to 10 years for using a prop gun
The coming dark age: An actor now faces ten years in prison because he used a air gun that shoots harmless plastic pellets while shooting a movie in New Jersey.
Read the article. As the writer properly concludes, “no film production company of any size should ever do business in New Jersey.” In fact, when it comes to guns I would avoid this fascist state in any way possible.
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The coming dark age: An actor now faces ten years in prison because he used a air gun that shoots harmless plastic pellets while shooting a movie in New Jersey.
Read the article. As the writer properly concludes, “no film production company of any size should ever do business in New Jersey.” In fact, when it comes to guns I would avoid this fascist state in any way possible.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
A minor quibble: your headline states that the actor was sentenced to 10 years, but it would be more accurate to say he faces up to 10 years. He spent 4 days in jail as his friends tried to raise bail, and he turned down a plea bargain that would have had him serve a year, but he hasn’t been sentenced yet, and it appears he hasn’t gone to trial.
It’s horrible that it’s gone on this far, especially considering he’s a former convict and was apparently trying to get his life back together by working an honest job.
It gets even worse. It is illegal to transport or use a slingshot in the republic of New Jersey. Apparently, this was a mistake in the original law but the Democrat legislature is not interested in correcting this nonsense.
He was offered a plea deal and refused it, so, yes, he will go to trial and there is a chance he can be convicted and serve up to 10 years. This is the same choice for anyone accused of a crime, take the plea deal or gamble on a jury trial where a long sentence is possible. Let’s hope that he gets 12 jurors who are sympathetic to his plight. There seems to be some confusion about the “weapon” that he was wielding when he was arrested. The media uses the term pellet gun interchangeably with Airsoft gun. In NJ a pellet gun or BB gun is a weapon regulated under the firearm laws. While pellet and BB guns are seldom fatal, the projectiles can penetrate skin and muscle and do a fair amount of damage. These guns are often used to reduce the pigeon and squirrel populations (not by me, however). An Airsoft gun is not regulated and the projectiles are unable to penetrate skin. They also have bright orange muzzles and would never fool anyone into thinking they are anything but a toy. It would really be nice if the media could report on anything correctly.
My thoughts: he should have taken the plea deal. Now we will watch for a trial of a New Jersey ex-con, who should have known about the screwy NJ gun laws, waving a regulated firearm, not on a closed set or closed off street, but in public. I am anxiously awaiting for the outcome of this case.
I would guess that for the filming they took the orange muzzle off the Airsoft gun (as my son stupidly did to his Airsoft gunwhen he was about 12, because it “looked cooler that way”). Perhaps that’s part of the reason why they went after him so hard.
I hope some attorney who wants to make a name for him/herself takes up this case pro bono, publicizes the heck out of it, and educates the people of New Jersey on their ridiculous laws so that they raise a huge ruckus with their lawmakers.
All Governor Krispy Kreme has to do, is signal to the prosecutor that he will pardon him if convicted. Where’s the Big Guy stand on all this? Or is he too busy making deals with Trump to be the AG?
As for “plea deals,” the man has a right to Jury trial. It’s a feature of our system, not a bug.
I hope you never have to face “copping a plea.” This is a perfect example of prosecutorial discretion gone bad.
Unfortunately, the prosecutor is immune from removal for selective prosecution.
Unless there are some facts in evidence we don’t have, sounds like a purely political prosecution in nature.
Highly recommend:
http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/costs-consequences-gun-control