300 Year Old Flintlock Pistol = Felony & 10 Years In Prison In NJ

[growalot]

The sheriff said Gordon Van Gilder was a passenger in his vehicle, which was pulled over on Nov. 19, on 2nd Street. Van Gilder allegedly admitted that the reason they were in the area was to purchase drugs, according to Austino.

"This is not just a case of the police picking on an elderly gun collector," he said.

When stopped, Austino said Van Gilder immediately told officers about the antique flintlock pistol in the glove compartment. The firearm was not loaded and was in what Austino called an envelope when Van Gilder turned it over to the officers.

A search allegedly found used heroin bags in the vehicle, according to the sheriff. The driver of the vehicle -- identified as Adam Puttergill, 21, of Maurice River Township -- was allegedly found in possession of drugs and was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, according to Austino.

However, Van Gilder was not charged with any drug offenses, just unlawful possession of a weapon, the sheriff said. The case is still in the complaint stage and no court dates are scheduled, according to the Cumberland County Criminal Case Management Office.

 

 

 

I read this and it immediately struck me...Remember the gent I killed the 6pt for? The one loosing his home and in need of food...Well he is a retired teacher as well and had a 20 something year old drug addict and this kids step father fleece him for every thing....Makes you wonder how many of our elderly are being preyed upon  in this manner...makes you wonder why instead of arrests and charges, that authorities didn't see something may have been terrible wrong with the picture as a whole...I find it sad that getting their "gun arrest" was more important then finding out how he came to be in that situation..a passenger in his car with a drug addict at the wheel. Now if they did look into it why aren't the reporters reporting it...and did they bother to consider how wrong that picture was?

[ants]

The second article certainly puts this whole thing in a new light. Seems like this ex teacher might have made some very bad decisions.

[Mr VJP]

Ants, people that old can very easily be forced to make bad decisions fearing for their lives.

 

[ants]

Ants, people that old can very easily be forced to make bad decisions fearing for their lives.

Some people that old..Very true. Just as some people that old are drug addicts and make poor choices. Maybe it will turn out that the driver forced this guy to go with him to buy drugs. I just think its a little early to paint him as a total victim.

[growalot]

The problem is many times they are not forced into anything...such as they guy here I helped out...several times he said to me ..I helped out too many young people and now I'm paying for it...that was before I looked into his situation and found out what happened...bank  accounts drained..you know, helping him pay bills and such...loans and credit cards taken out..without his knowledge.... As some age, the brain changes. Our ability to reason out potential dangers is lowered the more one has to rely on others for help..and that is most of the aging population...This is why older ppl with land lines are constantly getting telemarketers phone calls.

There is a family I know of in this area that has made an actual living out of "attaching them selves" to many elderly people ,as good Samaritans. They get payed to do "handy work" run errands and such then low and behold the valuables start getting gifted...things they do not need are purchased then disappear...it is a racket that people have used against the elderly for years...now with families moving apart and more of us getting older...it's happening more often..  

[ants]

People who prey on the elderly are some of the lowest scum on the planet. All Im saying is we don't know for sure what happened in this case. If the driver did force this man into the situation ,lock him up and flush the key,

[mike rossi]

February 25, 2015 - Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae today issued a press release indicating that the she was dismissing the charges against 72-year old retired teacher and military academy graduate Gordon Van Gilder. Van Gilder made international news after being arrested and charged by Cumberland County Sheriff Robert Austino for possession of a flintlock pistol dating back to the 1700's - a "crime" carrying up to 10 years in prison under the Garden State's nonsensical gun laws.
The prosecutor's press release undoubtedly came in reaction to intense public outcry as Van Gilder's story went viral. While the press release warns gun owners generally not to possess firearms in a vehicle, it states "upon careful review of the circumstances in this case, I am exercising prosecutorial discretion to dismiss the...charges in the interest of justice..."
Van Gilder was stopped in November by a Cumberland County sheriff's deputy for a minor traffic violation. When he volunteered that he had a nearly 300-year-old flintlock pistol with him, he was initially released but then arrested the next morning at his home and charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, a felony.
Several NJ lawmakers have introduced legislation to exempt possession of antique guns from prosecution (Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, Sen. Jeff Van Drew and Assemblyman Robert Andrzejczak). Please watch for additional updates.

[growalot]

Thanks for posting that...it's nice to see actual justice once in a while

[Mr VJP]

If not for the massive amount of attention given to this case, the prosecutor would still be going ahead with it.  This is the 3rd case in the last year where a lot of attention is the only thing that made NJ back down from gun persecution of up standing citizens.

 

One man was actually already sentenced to prison when his case got attention and Gov Christie commuted his sentence and freed him.  But since he did not get a pardon, he's still a convicted felon and has no 2nd Amendment rights anymore.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Mr VJP

[ants]

Im glad it worked out for him.