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"A New Jersey man gets seven years for being a responsible gun owner."

Coded-Dude

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2010
Messages
317
Location
Roseville
Sue Aitken called the police because she was worried about her son, Brian. She now lives with the guilt of knowing that her phone call is the reason Brian spent his 27th birthday in a New Jersey prison last month. If the state gets its way, he will be there for the next seven years.

Aitken was sentenced in August after he was convicted of felony possession of a handgun. Before his arrest, Aitken, an entrepreneur and owner of a media consulting business, had no criminal record, and it appears he made a good-faith effort to comply with New Jersey's stringent gun laws. Even the jurors who convicted him seem to have been looking for a reason to acquit him. But the judge gave them little choice. Aitken's best hope now is executive clemency. He is petitioning New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for a reprieve this week.
source - full article

A great example of poor gun laws and bad litigation. Hopefully his petition will do some good....
 

Gunslinger

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
3,853
Location
Free, Colorado, USA
He has more than enough grounds for an appeal on judicial error. The judge is also guilty of misconduct (malfeasance) and he should follow up on that. It sounds like his attorney was incompetent. He should have been announcing "exception" after every one of this dick of a judge's exercise of complete ignorance.
 

MKEgal

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
4,383
Location
in front of my computer, WI
Dunno how much good it will do, but here's contact info for the governor. I emailed through the website, saying that while firing the judge was a good start, Mr. Aitken should have been pardoned the next day after he was convicted and have his record expunged. (And a few other points, like he was entirely within the law, the judge refused to instruct the jury properly, etc.)

http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact/
Office of the Governor
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-6000

For the topic, I chose "law and public safety".
 

fjpro2a

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
280
Location
North Carolina
Boiling mad

We don't have to go over what happened here. A vicious anti-gun judge won the first round. I, too, will be e-mailing the Governor (I am a NJ Citizen.) I will join anyone anywhere anytime to start a group, club, whatever to undo this travesty, and that's just what it was. Let's keep in touch.:mad:
 

darkego

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
11
Location
Minnesota
o_O

I just heard about this from a friend via youtube... And, wow. Any major updates on the situation?
 

Lovenox

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
538
Location
Olympia
I left Ft. Campbell in early 1991 enroute to Ft. Dix. I stopped by California to see my girlfriend and subsequently bought a rifle that I want delivered to a FFL dealer in NJ. The sporting goods guy called me two weeks later and told me that my rifle arrived and I could pick it it. I went down to retrieve my rifle with great anticipation. Before handing me my rifle the guy behind the counter asks for my "Rifle Card" (I think that what it was called at the time) to which I gave him a puzzled look. He went on to explain what it was and that I needed one. The next day I went down the state troopers right outside Ft Dix in Wrightstown. Thinking it was going to be an "in and out" process all told it took me 6 months to get the card. Wow...! In the interim I thought "Hey Ill just go and get a little .22 to shoot.." Wrong!!! I needed a "Rifle Card" for that as well.
Your laws in Jersey suck a$$!!!!! Are those laws still in effect?
 

scarletwahoo

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
76
Location
, ,
I'm an ex-NJ resident. I'm pretty sure the governor will not pardon him and he will spend the next 7 years in prison. :-( It's ironic that it's much easier/faster to get an illegal gun in NJ than a legal one.
 

scarletwahoo

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
76
Location
, ,
I'm an ex-NJ resident. I'm pretty sure the governor will not pardon him and he will spend the next 7 years in prison. :-( It's ironic that it's much easier/faster to get an illegal gun in NJ than a legal one.

and my reason for saying this is when Christie was campaigning he stated that he "supports strict and aggressive enforcement of the state's current gun laws"
 

MKEgal

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
4,383
Location
in front of my computer, WI
I looked up Brian's current address (& inmate #) & have been writing him. He seems to appreciate knowing that people out here know about him & are outraged by what happened. I suggest more of you drop him a note now & then, try to keep up his spirits.

Brian Aitken
737585C/664864
Mid State Correctional Facility
POB 866
Wrightstown, NJ
08562
 
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Lovenox

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
538
Location
Olympia
I looked up Brian's current address (& inmate #) & have been writing him. He seems to appreciate knowing that people out here know about him & are outraged by what happened. I suggest more of you drop him a note now & then, try to keep up his spirits.


Care to post it?
 

scarletwahoo

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
76
Location
, ,
I'm an ex-NJ resident. I'm pretty sure the governor will not pardon him and he will spend the next 7 years in prison. :-( It's ironic that it's much easier/faster to get an illegal gun in NJ than a legal one.

I guess I am still technically correct, since he wasn't pardoned. Still a great ending. Freedom must be the best possible Christmas present he could have received.
 

MKEgal

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
4,383
Location
in front of my computer, WI
Gov Christy has commuted Brian's sentence to time served.
IMO, he should have been pardoned with full restoration of his rights.

I agree with you, but it's a good start. (Actually, I think the conviction should be voided, expunged, etc.)

The Gov. can always correct his oversight; the important thing is that Brian is (or will very shortly be) FREE.
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
I agree with you, but it's a good start. (Actually, I think the conviction should be voided, expunged, etc.)

The Gov. can always correct his oversight; the important thing is that Brian is (or will very shortly be) FREE.

I don't think it was an oversight - suspect it was very carefully thought out.

This way Christie doesn't address the issue of guilt, quiets the dissent, doesn't step on the toes of LE or the judiciary and can still say, "Look what I did." I was a political decision.

Would be very surprised if anymore was accomplished on this. Classic example of "freedom" without rights. Am I glad that he is home for Christmas? Of course and may he enjoy it. Hanging my head at the high price though.
 
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