Driving around with a rocket launcher, not smart
Headline: Man Stopped With Rocket Launchers In Downtown Denver
What he really had were two rocket launchers that were decommissioned. They didn’t work. Once fired, they are mostly harmless. Yet:
The man was taking them to his son in Chicago, but police confiscated them, even though they are legal. Officers were worried the sight of the rocket launchers might cause panic among those who didn’t know they were already used.
Huh? They took his legally owned property? Hell, just put them in his trunk.
September 3rd, 2004 at 10:14 am
Shouldn’t this be classified under emminent domain ie; taking of his private property for a public (though very weak) purpose.
September 3rd, 2004 at 11:07 am
I don’t see how the police position was defensible. I don’t see anything about him brandishing them (if he had, they certainly would have arrested him for that, and probably thrown him in Gitmo). If stupid people panicing is a reason, then let’s shut down the polling places.
September 3rd, 2004 at 11:30 am
Don’t forget this is the same town where a Judge told the defense lawyer, for the Libertarian Candidate, that he had better not try to bring up the Constitution of either the United States or the State of Colorado.
The Senatorial Candidate had been charged with openly carrying a firearm, legal under state law that specifically pre-empts local ordinance.
The Judge told the Court room that the “Home Rule Authority” of Denver trumps both Constitutional documents and state law.
September 3rd, 2004 at 12:08 pm
Was there ever any appeal of that case to a higher court?
Anyway, when Uncle says ‘mostly harmless’ he means “usefull only as a very awkward club.” If a spent M136 rocket tube is pointed at you, you can see right through the thing.
I know NC has some law prhibiting “going armed to the panic of the public” or some such nonsense. Does Colorado? Not that it should matter, since he was actually no more armed than a baseball player taking his bat to practice.