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Title: Retired Teacher Faces 10 Years In Prison For Possession Of Antique Flintlock Pistol
Source:
inquisitr.com
URL Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/1849436/re ... n-of-antique-flintlock-pistol/
Published: Feb 17, 2015
Author: Staff
Post Date: 2015-02-17 17:41:46 by Gatlin
Keywords: None
Views: 11788
Comments: 38
Retired teacher Gordon Van Gilder, 72, could be sent to jail for up to 10 years for possession of a unloaded antique flintlock pistol. New Jersey’s strict gun control law makes no distinction between a loaded, modern weapon such as a.44 Magnum and an antique firearm. A history buff and memorabilia collector, Van Gilder had the unloaded 300- year-old pistol in his car when he was pulled over in a routine traffic stop in Cumberland County, New Jersey, last November. In consenting to a search of the vehicle, the ex-educator informed cops that the antique was wrapped in cloth in the glove compartment. One of the cops wanted to let him go following the search, but the Cumberland County Sheriff nixed that idea. The next morning, several officers showed up at Van Gilder’s home and took him into custody. If convicted, Van Gilder faces a 10-year prison sentence, with a mandatory minimum of three to five years without parole. A felony conviction even without jail time could also among other things jeopardize his pension, which he earned after working 34 years in the New Jersey school system, Legal Insurrection detailed. “While Gordon noted that he was probably in violation of the law, he wasn’t if he was going by the federal statute, which exempts such a class of firearms. The conflict between state and federal laws is a constitutional question,” Townhall explained. Prosecutors even plan to run a ballistics test on the collectable for whatever reason. “[A] flintlock pistol dates back to the 17th century and [was] used in the American Civil War…Eventually technology advanced and the flintlocks simply became collectors items, one of the main reasons being it would take up to a whole minute to load one shot,” the Daily Surge observed. In the meantime, Van Gilder, who is fighting the charges in court, won’t be cutting any promos for the Garden State, an area he plans to leave sooner rather than later. “Beware of New Jersey. Don’t come here. Don’t live here,” he declared. As you may recall, New Jersey is the same state that initially planned to prosecute Philadelphia single mom and nurse Shaneen Allen for violating the state’s gun control laws. A licensed gun owner, Allen was pulled over in south Jersey at a time when she was unaware that the neighboring states lacked reciprocity as far as firearms permits are concerned. Perhaps owing to the public outcry, the Atlantic County prosecutor who let Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice off the hook allowed Allen the same form of leniency, i.e., a divergence program similar to pre-trial probation, which will result in the charges being dropped on successful completion of the program.
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#8. To: Gatlin (#0)
Nobody was using flintlock pistols in Mr.Lincoln's War of Northern Aggression. They were used in the Revolutionary War,but flintlocks had become obsolete long before the war of 1861 started and everybody was firing cartridge guns.
What is this: Springfield Model 1861 Rifle - The main weapon used during the US Civil War, identifiable by its block rear sight, barrel bands with retaining springs, curved buttplate and C-shaped hammer. Springfield Rifle Musket - This was a single shot, muzzle-loading gun that used the percussion cap firing mechanism. It had a rifled barrel, and fired the .58 caliber Minié ball. The first rifled muskets had used a larger .69 caliber Minié ball, since they had simply taken .69 caliber smooth bore muskets and rifled their barrels. Tests conducted by the U.S. Army indicated that the .58 caliber was more accurate at a distance. After experimenting with the failed Maynard primer system on the Model 1855 musket, the Model 1861 reverted to the more reliable percussion lock. The first Model 1861 Springfields were delivered late in that year and during 1862 gradually became the most common weapon carried by Union infantry in the eastern theater. Western armies were slower to obtain Springfield rifles, and they were not widely used there until the middle of 1863. Rifles were more accurate than smooth bore muskets, and could have been made using shorter barrels. However, the military was still using tactics such as firing by ranks, and feared that shorter barrels would result in soldiers in the back ranks accidentally shooting front rank soldiers in the back of the head. Bayonet fighting was also important at this time, which also made militaries reluctant to shorten the barrels. The Springfield Model 1861 therefore used a three-band barrel, making it just as long as the smoothbore muskets that it had replaced. The 38-inch-long rifled barrel made it a very accurate weapon, and it was possible to hit a man sized target with a Minié ball as far away as 500 yards (460 m). To reflect this longer range, the Springfield was fitted with two flip up sights, one set for 300 yards (270 m) and the other for 500. Along with a revised 1863 model, it was the last muzzle-loading weapon ever adopted by the US Army. By the end of the war, approximately 1.5 million Springfield rifle muskets had been produced by the Springfield Armory and 20 subcontractors. Since the South lacked sufficient manufacturing capability, most of the Springfields in Southern hands were captured on the battlefields during the war. Many older Springfield rifle muskets, such as the Model 1855 and 1842, were brought out of storage and used due to arms shortages. Many smooth bore muskets dating all the way back to the Springfield Model 1812 were brought out of storage for similar reasons. These old and obsolete weapons were replaced by newer weapons as they became available.
What is this: Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Not a flintlock,and not the trapdoor Springfield that was issued to front line troops and the rifle most seen in photos of the war.
Thanks, I did not know the difference. Now I do.
#17. To: Sneakypete (#14)
(Edited)
I got it, I think. It appears the North had the percussion cap, but the South had to use some flintlocks….assuming the information in this article is true. By 1861, the flintlock was old tech. All modern armies used the percussion cap, an explosive cap struck by a hammer that replaced the unwieldy and often unreliable flint and pan. The problem was, many people hadn't caught up. Underfunded local militias, who hadn't heard a shot fired in anger in a generation, often still carried flintlocks. Many rural farmers also had flintlocks as family heirlooms. Modern guns were pricey and the flintlock was still good enough for hunting. But not good enough for the modern battlefield. Armies on both sides scrambled to supply enough percussion lock rifles for their troops. The industrial North soon had this sorted out, and government contractors got rich selling modern weapons or refitting flintlocks into percussion locks. The South, however, lagged behind. Many regiments required individuals to bring their own guns and were thus a motley collection of flintlocks, shotguns, and percussion rifles scrounged from dead Yankees. http://civilwarhorror.blogspot.com/2013/04/flintlocks-in-american- civil-war.html. I looked at pictures and I can see the difference in the hammer action.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestProsecutors even plan to run a ballistics test on the collectable for whatever reason. “[A] flintlock pistol dates back to the 17th century and [was] used in the American Civil War…Eventually technology advanced and the flintlocks simply became collectors items, one of the main reasons being it would take up to a whole minute to load one shot,” the Daily Surge observed.
#10. To: sneakypete (#8)
They were used in the Revolutionary War,but flintlocks had become obsolete long before the war of 1861 started and everybody was firing cartridge guns.
#12. To: Gatlin (#10)
They were used in the Revolutionary War,but flintlocks had become obsolete long before the war of 1861 started and everybody was firing cartridge guns.
#14. To: sneakypete (#12)
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