Okay, I'm over at Townhall, reading this piece on how bad ideas keep coming back to haunt us... at least from the left (though I suspect if you come from the left, you might argue the converse, as well)
Well, there I am, reading about the Law of the Sea treaty (among other gems) and the following picture from the AP with a Reuters caption is what accompanies the article:
This Washington State Patrol handout photograph shows weapons found in a vehicle of John Popper, lead singer of "Blues Traveler," who was placed under arrest for drug possession after troopers smelled the odor of marijuana coming from his vehicle on March 6, 2007. Popper's driver, Brian Gourgeois was arrested for reckless driving for driving at over 100 mph (160 km/h). Popper told the authorities that he was a collector of weapons. Troopers recovered a total of 14 weapons, including four rifles (one of which was a 50 caliber rifle), nine handguns and a switchblade knife. REUTERS/Washington State Patrol/Handout
So, I went looking for some news.
The vehicle, owned by Popper and driven by Brian Gourgeois, was pulled over for going, um, 111mph. Sounds fair to me.
Our Performing Artist and his driver were apparently, perhaps, a touch high, too, as the officers caught a whiff o' weed and so decided to search the vehicle. So a dog was summoned...
Inside the black Mercedes SUV, officers found a cache of weapons and a small amount of marijuana, the Patrol said. A police dog searched the vehicle, finding numerous hidden compartments containing four rifles, nine handguns and a switchblade knife. Authorities also found a Taser and night vision goggles. The vehicle was seized.
One wonders if they were purpose-built hidden compartments, or simply all those clever little storage areas built into SUVs - I dunno Mercedes vehicles, so it could be either. But I would like to know, if I was the writer of the article, since it is kinda relevant.
*This* is an interesting look into Popper's world view, however... The vehicle also had flashing emergency headlights, a siren and a public address system, according to the Highway Patrolman.
In a news release, the Patrol added, "Popper indicated to troopers that he had installed these items in his vehicle because (in the event of a natural disaster) he didn't want to be left behind," He also told officers he collected weapons.
I won't argue about this being news. I just find the article interesting because of word choice, etc, and the focus on the weapons - though, aside from the weed, there wasn't much in there you wouldn't find in my basement. And boy, on a day I'm going to the range...
One thing that did pop into mind was - is Mr. Popper fibbing on his ATFE Form 4473? The part where you have to answer yes or no to question 12(e): Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana, or any depressant, stimulant, or narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance? Fibbing on the form is, um, frowned upon.
I admit to being hyper-sensitive on the issue, but the article seem to twitch with wanting to scream out "Guns! Guns! Lookit all the Bad Guns" but couldn't. Not effectively, anyway. Clearly, the Highway Patrol wanted to make it about guns in terms of the publicity, etc.
Why couldn't they go full-bore scary?
The two men were booked administratively into the Adams County jail and released on their own recognizance. Authorities plan to charge them with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Gourgeois will also face a charge of reckless driving, the Patrol said.
I guess, aside from my question about 4473's (a Federal issue, anyway), there wasn't anything illegal about the guns.
Heh.
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