Err, that’s not very helpful
A former neo-Nazi told a jury Monday that he sold machine guns to a federal informant because he knew he’d be arrested and that his trial would provide a forum for challenging gun control laws – a claim that drew quiet chuckles from prosecutors.
“It was something I could do for my country, something my children could remember me by,” Keith D. Gilbert testified as his weeklong trial concluded in U.S. District Court.
Gilbert, 66, once an aide to Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler, is charged with 12 counts of gun violations, including possession of machine guns and dealing in firearms without a license. He allegedly sold two automatic and two semi-automatic weapons owned or built by friends to a government informant, and he had dozens of guns in his home – some registered, some not – when agents raided it in February 2005.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Friedman told jurors that Gilbert was a small-time gun trafficker whose motive was making at least a few hundred dollars from each sale. The claim that he was trying to make himself a “Second Amendment martyr” was a surprise, Friedman told Judge Marsha Pechman.
Not the best case to try to make a second amendment claim with. In fact, the claim sounds like something he made up after he was caught.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:19 am
Yes, because Middle America—forget about the Coastal “Elities”—is really going to wake up and smell the coffee when they hear about a neo-Nazi selling full autos to extremists …. it’ll really make them rally to the 2nd Amendment cause.
As you note, it’s OBVIOUSLY something he cooked up after feeling ridiculously stupid for being busted by federal agents who he’s probably spent a lifetime calling bumbling idiots, but it’s not even a good retroactive justification.
What a retard.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:31 am
and he had dozens of guns in his home – some registered, some not – when agents raided it in February 2005.
There is no gun registration of ANY kind in Washington State. Full Auto is not allowed here, so those could not be registered. Who are these idiotic repoters?
September 12th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
. In fact, the claim sounds like something he made up after he was caught.
Yep, I agree. However, as phony as his claim to higher purposes is, his late adopted position is correct. The laws he is accused of violating and almost certainly did, are illegal. Each and every one of them violates the constitutional prohibition against “infringement”. What part of “shall not be infringed” is too damn hard to understand? Why do juries not get it? More importantly why do 2A advocates think departure from the strict interpretation of deem infringement reasonable if it is used against someone we don’t like?
Liberty cannot live in an exception rich environment.
September 12th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
interpretation of deem infringement reasonable
make that -“interpretation of infringement deem it …”
September 12th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
He ought to go with the “I didn’t “register” the machine guns because the supreme court has held that because they are illegal for me to have, registering them would be a violation of my 5th Amendment rights(self incrimination), heh, heh, heh. Let’s see the prosecutors work around that one.
September 12th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Is the media intentionally out there to mislead? Everyone I know, EVERYONE! who is not a gun-nut thinks that guns are registered. Is the media just part of all those ill-informed folks, out to get us and make everyone think that that’s the way things are, or both?
September 13th, 2006 at 12:12 am
I never knew the Second Amendment protected anybody’s right to sell arms. Presumably, he could argue that his intended customers have that right, but that doesn’t necessarily give him standing to assert their rights. Only abortions work that way, because … um … er … that’s different.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:43 am
Straightarrow, his position may be correct, but his delusion that he’s helping the gun rights cause is not.
September 13th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Guav, absolutely! However, if the law was adhered to he wouldn’t be harming us either, because the authorities would be obeying it and the politics of deception would be a non-starter.
IOW, he isn’t helping us, but we shouldn’t be needing help if we held our officials to the law or incarcerated them when they break it.