reply to post by tweakedvisions
I hope the best for you.
In 1997 in Cal. I went to a target shooting range with a good friend. We were in his pickup truck with 2 target .22 rifles, 2 shotguns and 2 handguns
in the bed of the truck. No ammo left and trigger locks on all the guns. We got pulled over for not having his license plates displayed correctly. We
kept our hands in front of us and the first thing we both told the officer was what we were doing, where we were and where we going, straight home.
Next thing there was 4 squad cars and we were handcuffed. The local Santa Barbara newspaper happened to be there doing an article on something else
and switched their attention to us.
The guns were in the bed of the truck. We thought it made sense to not drive around with the guns on display so they were under a moving blanket. AND
we made sure the first thing we told the cop what we had and what we were doing. We got arrested on concealed weapons charges. The police report to
the judge said "the guns were discovered upon searching the vehicle". Not true!
The local paper printed our pictures with pictures of the truck and the full 1/2 page below the fold article said we had a "truckload" of "assault
weapons". 2 rifles, 2 shotguns, 2 handguns, one a collectors piece by Dan Wesson and a tiny .308 5 round semi auto. NO assault weapons! No ammo.
Trigger locks. TRUCKLOAD of guns!!??
We had to plead no contest other wise it would have meant doing time in the county seat, jury trial, and a lot of court and defense costs. WE knew we
weren't doing anything wrong and could prove it. BUT technically the guns were "concealed" under the blanket so we would be technically guilty. I
so wanted to open my mouth in court and tell our situation to the judge, but just opening my mouth once would have meant pleading and changed our
simple situation into a major, drawn out jury case.
So we pleaded no contest and got a fine, 1 year probation and the promise our records would be expunged immediately after probation.
That was almost 14 years ago. I moved to Wisconsin and was fixing up the family farm to sell and applying for jobs there at the same time. I kept
getting turned down for work but didn't think anything of it. Just bad luck. Then last November I was pulled over for driving 63 in a 55 (I thought
the speed limit was 65). I didn't lie to the cop and told him about what happened in 97. Then I heard his dispatcher tell him about my old weapons
charge, that I thought was expunged, (and that I had told him about) and that gave him excuse to search my vehicle and take everything I had and
spread it down the highway in FREEZING weather.
The Santa Barbara court never expunged my record like we had in the deal, and 14 years later I'm getting turned down for work and still have a
record. The only other trouble I've been in with the law was a speeding ticket in 1986 on my motorcycle in Oklahoma. 6am. No traffic, 72 in a 55,
which is now a 75 mph zone anyway.
The only way you can explain your side in court is if you plead innocent and accept all the immediate consequences involved, which makes it more
sensible to plead it down to no contest, pay the fine, do the probation and be done with it. But don't believe them about the expungement. Follow up
on it yourself or you'll pay for it years later.
Truckload of assault weapons? Yet another reason for me to not trust the MSM. Lying and printing our names and addresses with no other details about
all the circumstances of the situation is just irresponsible and sensationalistic journalism.
The police got their *feather in their cap* for the *BIG* weapons bust. The judge and DA got their feathers with the coming down hard on us gun guys
conviction and the newspaper got their big scoop on the truckload of assault weapons article. And we got the undeserved sharp end of the stick. That
still follows me around 14 years later.
Find a decent attorney (wish you the best with that) and plead down the charges to make your life more simple.
Good luck...
