Infinite Jester
Navy Veteran
Or more aptly titled- How I Got My Guns, Lost Them, and Got Them Back Again
Some of you might remember back in December, I had a post up entitled "Need Help Now". I had Derek take it down a few days after posting it. It recounted what happened to me while trying to take possession of some firearms I ordered online. In a nutshell, I ordered a rifle and a handgun online, they were shipped to my FFL in late December. I filled out the 4473, and was delayed. After 3 days, per federal law, the shop had the option to release the guns to me. They did, and I brought them home. I promptly took them both to the range and tested them out.
About 2 weeks goes by, and I'm enjoying my new purchases. One day at work, I get a frantic call from the FFL. "Hey man, it's [employee] from [LGS], I got a denial back on those guns. I need to get them back in the shop" Here's where the story gets good. Hang in there.
I contact a few attorneys and get mixed advice on what to do next. To keep the story short, after about a week, and some serious consideration, I decide to bring them back. I speak with the owner of the LGS, and he agrees to hold them free of charge till I work this out.
Step 1. I call the New Hampshire State Police gun line. After 4 consecutive days, I finally get a supervisor. Due to the privacy act, they can't tell me much. Just that it's something from Connecticut.
Step 2. I call a random CT State Police post, and ask if anything comes up. It does. A bench warrant from 2003 failure to appear on a moving violation. Hmmmm. Ok, well...
Step 3. I contact several attorneys licensed in CT, and get consult on how to proceed. Of the 4 I spoke with, the answer was always the same thing. The one thing I didn't want to hear...."You have to come down and turn yourself in"
Step 4. I spend a grip of cash, and bite the bullet, and hire an attorney. We set a date (this past Thursday) to do the deed.
Step 5. I book a night at the Omni in New Haven. My wife and I drive down Wednesday afternoon, check in, freshen up, and hit the town. We go out for a top notch steak dinner and some good high end bourbons. Hey, if I have to do this, why not do it in style?
5am Thursday I'm standing in Union Street station's lobby, in my best suit and tie, talking with a desk sergeant. You could tell by the way he just shook his head and chuckled, that he was really thinking "Oh, you poor bastard, this is gonna suck".
After about 15 min., a young officer who couldn't have been over 22 comes in, and tells me he's going to have to cuff me, but he'll do it in front, and loose. I hand my wife my phone and wallet, and follow the nice young officer. We head next door, and I'm handed off to the world of the Connecticut Judicial Marshalls at the lock up.
I spend 4 hours in a single cell, and at 9am, transport shows up. I am placed in leg irons and cuffs, and helped into the back of the transport truck. 10 min. later I'm in the basement of the courthouse. I'm placed in "Interview" with 5 other guys. They all speak with their public defender, and I just wait.
From there I'm taken to the holding pens. 3 pens and 4 cells. Pens are for us city guys. 3 to a pen. Cells are for county. State pen is in another room next door. I stay there from 10 am-3:30pm. before we're brought upstairs for our arraignment. As I walk in, my attorney rushes up, and whispers in my ear "I got them to drop it. They're going to dismiss it". I'm the second guy called, and as I stand in front of the judge, for a total of 30 seconds, all I want to do is get the hell out of this place. My attorney states that I haven't even had a speeding ticket in the last 13 years, and that we should dismiss. The judge agrees, and I sent back downstairs.
Going back down was the hardest. I waited an hour till the clerk filed the paperwork, and when the marshall came to get me I was more than ready to go. They took off the leg irons, and sent me into an office to sign for my wedding ring, Masonic ring, belt, tie and shoelaces. I walked through the opposite door and was FREE!
Conclusion- I walked into that LGS tonight at 5pm. I filled out a 4473, got an proceed after the longest 15 minutes ever, and was given my 2 firearms back.
Some of you might remember back in December, I had a post up entitled "Need Help Now". I had Derek take it down a few days after posting it. It recounted what happened to me while trying to take possession of some firearms I ordered online. In a nutshell, I ordered a rifle and a handgun online, they were shipped to my FFL in late December. I filled out the 4473, and was delayed. After 3 days, per federal law, the shop had the option to release the guns to me. They did, and I brought them home. I promptly took them both to the range and tested them out.
About 2 weeks goes by, and I'm enjoying my new purchases. One day at work, I get a frantic call from the FFL. "Hey man, it's [employee] from [LGS], I got a denial back on those guns. I need to get them back in the shop" Here's where the story gets good. Hang in there.
I contact a few attorneys and get mixed advice on what to do next. To keep the story short, after about a week, and some serious consideration, I decide to bring them back. I speak with the owner of the LGS, and he agrees to hold them free of charge till I work this out.
Step 1. I call the New Hampshire State Police gun line. After 4 consecutive days, I finally get a supervisor. Due to the privacy act, they can't tell me much. Just that it's something from Connecticut.
Step 2. I call a random CT State Police post, and ask if anything comes up. It does. A bench warrant from 2003 failure to appear on a moving violation. Hmmmm. Ok, well...
Step 3. I contact several attorneys licensed in CT, and get consult on how to proceed. Of the 4 I spoke with, the answer was always the same thing. The one thing I didn't want to hear...."You have to come down and turn yourself in"
Step 4. I spend a grip of cash, and bite the bullet, and hire an attorney. We set a date (this past Thursday) to do the deed.
Step 5. I book a night at the Omni in New Haven. My wife and I drive down Wednesday afternoon, check in, freshen up, and hit the town. We go out for a top notch steak dinner and some good high end bourbons. Hey, if I have to do this, why not do it in style?
5am Thursday I'm standing in Union Street station's lobby, in my best suit and tie, talking with a desk sergeant. You could tell by the way he just shook his head and chuckled, that he was really thinking "Oh, you poor bastard, this is gonna suck".
After about 15 min., a young officer who couldn't have been over 22 comes in, and tells me he's going to have to cuff me, but he'll do it in front, and loose. I hand my wife my phone and wallet, and follow the nice young officer. We head next door, and I'm handed off to the world of the Connecticut Judicial Marshalls at the lock up.
I spend 4 hours in a single cell, and at 9am, transport shows up. I am placed in leg irons and cuffs, and helped into the back of the transport truck. 10 min. later I'm in the basement of the courthouse. I'm placed in "Interview" with 5 other guys. They all speak with their public defender, and I just wait.
From there I'm taken to the holding pens. 3 pens and 4 cells. Pens are for us city guys. 3 to a pen. Cells are for county. State pen is in another room next door. I stay there from 10 am-3:30pm. before we're brought upstairs for our arraignment. As I walk in, my attorney rushes up, and whispers in my ear "I got them to drop it. They're going to dismiss it". I'm the second guy called, and as I stand in front of the judge, for a total of 30 seconds, all I want to do is get the hell out of this place. My attorney states that I haven't even had a speeding ticket in the last 13 years, and that we should dismiss. The judge agrees, and I sent back downstairs.
Going back down was the hardest. I waited an hour till the clerk filed the paperwork, and when the marshall came to get me I was more than ready to go. They took off the leg irons, and sent me into an office to sign for my wedding ring, Masonic ring, belt, tie and shoelaces. I walked through the opposite door and was FREE!
Conclusion- I walked into that LGS tonight at 5pm. I filled out a 4473, got an proceed after the longest 15 minutes ever, and was given my 2 firearms back.