Phillip Dominguez describes himself as “a law-abiding, taxpaying gun enthusiast.” That should be with an emphasis on “enthusiast.” Dominguez is facing charges are a search of his car uncovered 16 guns and 1000 rounds of ammunition.
Dominguez insists that he was just picking up a friend and planned to go to a shooting range. He was arrested on suspicion of felony transportation of an assault rifle.
In fairness to Dominguez, he did not try to enter the airport itself but pulled on to the airport ring road and was flagged over. The weapons were locked away in the back of the truck. He has picked up people at the airport before and never saw a checkpoint. He also says that the assault rifle is legal. Nevertheless, he was arrested and both his guns and his truck were confiscated.
I find it a bit problematic to have such checkpoints thrown up on surrounding roads and searching of interior compartments of anyone picking up people. It would be an easy matter to hide explosives in a truck to avoid such cursory examinations. Indeed, I have often found perfunctory searches at military installations and private business a bit of a joke with security. Just the other day, I watched security check every car at a Broadway play by opening and shutting the trunk of cars in New York without seeing looking inside. This search was obviously more substantive, but most cities do not see the need for such checkpoints of passing cars.
These can be difficult cases due to the obvious need to protect high security areas like airports. The courts would likely uphold a checkpoint outside an airport but there is a legitimate question of notice. If Dominguez did legally have such material in his truck, it is pretty abusive to not only arrest him but seize his truck. The LAX website on security does not mention searches outside of the airport building, here.
For the full story, click here.
Be advised, the National Parks dumb-bots are now checking all vehicles at roadblocks for firearms.
They asked, “Do you have a concealed carry permit?” and then “Do you have any firearms in the vehicle?”
If you answer yes, they proceed to search your vehicle for weapons, and then they run them through the DOJ system to see if it is registered in your name.
If you answer no, and they proceed to check the vehicle, with or without permission, this can lead to more problems.
This state has gone way too far into violating Constitutional rights.
Time to leave.
Bobfrog:
“Section 3. Prohibition on possession or sale of non-coded ammunition.
2. No later than January 1, 2011, all non-coded ammunition for the calibers listed in this chapter, whether owned by private citizens or retail outlets, must be disposed”
__________________________________________________
After Jan. 2011, all hand loaders and those who have non-coded ammo will become criminals.
Of course, the real criminals will not turn in their ammo, they will hand load, they will purchase black-market coded or hand loaded ammo, they will steal coded ammo, alter the coding, ad infinitum….
The Patriot Act in action. I am not a gun owner but the precedence it sets for a lot of other “offences” is creepy. Down the slippery slope we go…
MASkeptic, David & Former Federal LEO, et. al.
I’ve owned several guns since I was ten years old.
Show me I’m blind, but I fail to see how making ammo traceable is a restriction at all.
Like I said earlier, the biggest problem I see is when the ammo is recycled, i.e. the brass, by the sharpshooter when he loads his own.
Far as a ‘black market’ popping up, as Former Federal LEO contends, I don’t know about that. Old ammo is easy to come by (or find in your own storage areas). I still have ammo I inherited from my father dating back to 1958.
David:
“That guy and the alleged legislation is a joke that will never go anywhere.”
David,
Aside from the licensing fee or tax that might be tacked on to the price of ammo, what do you have against making ammo more easily traceable?
One of the only objections I can think of, for now, would be how to distinguish between the sharpshooter/reloader and the common felon.
I’m with FFLeo and David on this one. Sorry guys, I consider allowing responsible people ownership of guns to be a fundamental requirement for the perseverance of freedoms in this country, right up there with free speech and apple pie. Putting unreasonable restrictions on people exercising that right is tantamount to banning it in certain circumstances.
Mespo:
“I understand the identifying marking is made to the base of the projectile and corresponds with the brass markings.”
That’s fine and well with most guns and shooters that don’t police their brass, but how accurate is that system when it comes to revolvers firing hollow points?
“I suppose you could match op the striations on the round like we do now and compare it to the rifling on the inside of the barrel of the particular firearm involved.”
That’s the old fashioned way; which of course doesn’t work well when the bullet is mangled beyond recognition.
Bobfrog:
“I’ve got no problem with making ammo traceable back to the purchaser; so long as there’s a corresponding method of tracing it back to the exact firearm discharged.”
***********
I understand the identifying marking is made to the base of the projectile and corresponds with the brass markings. I suppose you could match op the striations on the round like we do now and compare it to the rifling on the inside of the barrel of the particular firearm involved.
I’ve got no problem with making ammo traceable back to the purchaser; so long as there’s a corresponding method of tracing it back to the exact firearm discharged.
As of now, it’s already possible to trace ammo back to the basic lot from which it was purchased.
Given my experience from handling firearms since a very young kid, as a once-avid hunter, as a gun owner, prior military service, and as a decorated former federal law enforcement officer, I adamantly oppose the Ammunition Accountability Act.
Any person who despises the Bush Administration and the loss of freedoms that occurred should see this Act for what it represents. No person who owns and handles firearms should ever support this proposed legislation that is fraught with many inconsistencies and unmanageable provisions.
I understand how decent people could think that this was a good way to help solve gun crimes but it would be a bureaucratic boondoggle and would lead to an uncontrollable black market of weapons and ammunition. We all read about the frequent abuse by police officers within this blawg and this proposed Act would trend closer towards a police state and make criminals out of ordinary law-abiding citizens, including me, and I have had only 1 traffic ticket (about 40 years ago)in my entire life.
mespo you may want to research that Ammunition Accountability Act a bit more – it is being pushed by the guy that invented the way to laser etch a serial number on rounds of ammo. Of course, no large scale testing has been done to prove if it is even feasible – and he also wants to collect a small licensing fee for EACH ROUND ENCODED! That guy and the alleged legislation is a joke that will never go anywhere.
ken:
New York, Pennsylvania and so far 16 other states have enacted legislation — in each case with virtually identical wording to the nationally lobbied Ammunition Accountability Act — that would mandate the engraving of a unique serial number on the base of each handgun and “assault weapon” bullet and an identical number on the cartridge’s case. The act calls for dealers of this “encoded ammunition” to record the purchaser’s name, birth date, drivers license number, etc.
Must be lots of rocks around.
Mespo, serial numbers on ammo. LOL! Let’s get those serial numbers on knives, scissors, and maybe even arrows.
You are as dumb as a rock.
Bell,
Actually in this case it’s back to what the definition of a semi-literate zealot who’s so bent on finding ‘errors’ in the opinions of someone you disagree with that you have no problem making yourself look like a fool by arguing a point that’s both idiotic and just plain wrong is.
Tell you what, when you can make a point that’s more coherent than my one year old’s babbling, then we can have a discussion, till then save your masturbatory remarks for some forum where people don’t know what the words you use really mean.
Mespo:
“I really like the new avatar.”
Thanks.
“Hoboken? Ooh, I’m dyin.”
rafflaw:
“How far from the actual terminal do you need to be before they can search legally? Can they search me if I am on a road that can lead into the airport? My point is where do they draw the line on this type of invasion of privacy?”
Honestly rafflaw, after the Patriot Act was passed I sort of lost track of Criminal Procedure as an area of study.
Seriously.
In any case, I’m not aware of any case setting forth a ‘curtilige’ so to speak for airport search & seizure.