Covington VA --(Ammoland.com)- A Virginia CHP holder, Guy Ackerman, inadvertently brought a handgun with him into NJ.
He discovered the gun in his car and rather than leave it in there with valet parking, he took the unloaded revolver to his room and locked it in the room safe. The valet had noticed the gun when it was in the car and told the police, who arrested Guy and charged him with unlawful weapon possession – a felony in NJ.
The prosecutor is refusing to allow Guy an option to avoid jail time, an option that is normally available in such cases.
Guy is really in a tough spot. If he takes the prosecutor’s current “deal,” Guy will spend one year in prison before being able to apply for parole. If denied, he will have to serve up to three years. If he rejects the idea of a “guilty” plea and is found guilty in a trial, he then faces a minimum jail sentence of between five and ten years.
Of course, if he wins the trial, he would be free. However, we are talking New Jersey.
This is why I avoid New Jersey, preferring not to leave America.
Here is a web site that provides details on Guy’s situation, as well as a petition to sign asking that Guy be given the non-felony option: www.wesupportourguy.com
First of all, does anyone believe he forgot he had the gun in the car until he pulled up to the casino? I don't. I figure he was like a lot of gun owners who think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. When caught, they forgot. It's pathetic. Describing him as a victim of his own forgetfulness and then a hero of gun security for bringing the gun into the hotel is transparent pro-gun bullshit.
Secondly, I couldn't find a thing about this case except on AmmoLand and that support site they linked to. I wouldn't be surprised if they invented the whole thing.
But I will say this, if it is exactly as presented here, jail time is excessive. That makes me wonder if there are extenuating circumstances, other than lying about having forgotten he had the gun, which naturally AmmoLand would have omitted.
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