• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Carry Regs?

Jared

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
892
Location
Michigan, USA
They have a handgun ban there. It would not survive a court challenge, but it hasn't been challenged. The only way to carry a firearm there would be under LEOSA.

I know a while ago, Gray Peterson (from this site) emailed the public defender in the CNMI showing him Heller and McDonald. He never got a reply.

American Samoa has the same problem, they have a complete firearm ban except for .410 shotguns and 22 caliber rifles, although LEOSA applies there as well.

All territories and possessions are under the consitution. There was definitive case law on that from the 1910's and the 1970's. I don't remember the case law, it's been a while since I've looked at that.

I do remember that a case out of Puerto Rico stated that fundamental rights (which McDonald clearly stated) apply in all of the United States. It doesn't matter if the territory is a Commonwealth, an unincorporated territory, or a possession. The Bill of Rights applies in them all.

In 1990, Guam passed a very restrictive abortion law, it was struck down a month later under Roe v Wade case law.

To be honest, the territories are not a concern to most people. The licensing officials in the Mariana's asked the NRA for help in writing their Weapons ID Card application a few years ago and they got no response!!!

I do know the CNMI are extremely corrupt and probably won't care about case law, they would most likely have to be sued. There is a website called Saipansucks. It was famous years ago, it is believed that the website was created by a former Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth. He has many examples of how corrupt the place is so I doubt they will review McDonald and rewrite their weapons laws.... same for American Samoa.
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
There is a website called Saipansucks. It was famous years ago, it is believed that the website was created by a former Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth. He has many examples of how corrupt the place is so I doubt they will review McDonald and rewrite their weapons laws.... same for American Samoa.

Saipan Sucks can still be found, but has been inactive since 2006.
Whomever the author(s) was he painted an accurate and graphic portrait of life on the islands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saipan_Sucks
 

David Radich

New member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
2
Location
Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islan
Frustrated is Saipan

Hi, I am new here and found the forum, looking at gun rights sites. I have lived in the Northern Mariana Islands for about five and a half years now. Two years on Tinian, and three and a half on Saipan. I had moved here from the Detroit Area. I had previously worked as a public school teacher in Detroit.

The posts regarding the conditions in the Northern Marianas are essentially correct. There is a complete handgun ban, and restrictions, licensing etc on long guns. .223, .22 and .410 are all that is allowed and ammo sales is highly restricted. Furthermore, when applying for a permit, on the application the reason for applying is requested. Self defense is not an acceptable reason I was told by the Department of Public Safety official when I looked into it.

I guess what has prompted me to post here is sheer anger and frustration at the situation. I just received a medical bill for $882.63 for my wife's emergency room visit from last year. This visit was a result of a man breaking into my home and mercilessly beating her, breaking a few ribs and causing serious contusions to her face and giving her a severe concussion. Thank goodness, the man fled when she screamed and the injuries were not as serious as they were, that she wasn't raped or killed. The man who broke in was about 6' and over 200 pounds. My wife is 4'11 and 96 pounds.

Luckily she was able to call my cell, and I was able to get home quickly, at the time my home was less than a 2 minute drive from work. I dialed 911 and the police got there within 10 minutes. Where it gets maddening is what happened after. Two police officers showed up and searched around the house. While comforting my wife and rendering first aid, I heard a couple of gunshots. The police woman came in the house and explained to me how she had fired the shots in anger and frustration because the assailant was not there!

Now, I don't want to disparage the sentiment this woman had, but for crying out loud that is not the sort of thing a police officer should do!

That said, firing wildly into the jungle was the least of my complaints about the CNMI DPS! After my wife's treatment, nobody from the police came to ask my wife any questions. I called the police daily for three weeks straight trying to get a hold of a detective. Finally two officers came to our home 21 days after the assault to show my wife some mug shots...by the way, the officer admitted that they only brought one of the books and they had more at the station. No follow-up was ever made, despite the fact that there was by the police's own admission that there was a known rapist and burglar in my neighborhood and that he was a suspect. My wife never was shown a line up and did not return any calls...The bastard was never apprehended despite my neighbor having a general description of the perp and the fact that there were other break ins in my neighborhood that week.

But in a way, I am glad they didn't catch the person because our courts never hand out any real convictions, especially to "locals" (which the attacker was). Often in cases like this, the attacker would get something like 1-5 years in prison, ALL SUSPENDED except for maybe a couple of months, with time served. Then possibly they might make the bastard write a letter of apology to be published in the local paper. It is complete ********! It happens all the time.

Furthermore, there have been an increasing number of attacks and burglaries at tourists spots. Just last week a Russian tourist was attacked with a screwdriver and carjacked. And despite the complete handgun ban, we have gun crime, often committed by cops and government cronies with permission to carry such as domestic violence and drug dealing. In fact, just two years ago, DEA arrested the Governor's bodyguard (who by the way had a criminal record!) for dealing crystal meth from the Governor's vehicle (he was also the Gov's driver). Meanwhile when I, a law abiding citizen go to apply for a permit to buy a .410 shotgun to defend my home after this assault on my wife, am told that I have no legitimate reason for one!

Now, I like Saipan in general. It is beautiful. No snow. I like my job and rent is cheap. Like any place it has its problems and you live with them. But the fact is our courts and police have proven to me to be completely inadequate and not worthy of my trust.

I have emailed the NRA and Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership about getting some sort of help in protecting our Constitutional Rights here. I am not the only person here who has been let down by the system.

In Detroit, I had a handgun and was able to stop a home invasion. The presence of an armed person in the home was enough to make the burglar run away without hurting anyone. I never have had any desire to harm anyone and am thankful that I did not have to. What bugs me here is that criminals act with impunity because they know that there are no consequences for their actions! I would like to help find a way to bring the consequences of the responsibly armed citizen to the criminals of these islands. Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for listening.
 

Jared

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
892
Location
Michigan, USA
Hi, I am new here and found the forum, looking at gun rights sites. I have lived in the Northern Mariana Islands for about five and a half years now. Two years on Tinian, and three and a half on Saipan. I had moved here from the Detroit Area. I had previously worked as a public school teacher in Detroit.

The posts regarding the conditions in the Northern Marianas are essentially correct. There is a complete handgun ban, and restrictions, licensing etc on long guns. .223, .22 and .410 are all that is allowed and ammo sales is highly restricted. Furthermore, when applying for a permit, on the application the reason for applying is requested. Self defense is not an acceptable reason I was told by the Department of Public Safety official when I looked into it.

I guess what has prompted me to post here is sheer anger and frustration at the situation. I just received a medical bill for $882.63 for my wife's emergency room visit from last year. This visit was a result of a man breaking into my home and mercilessly beating her, breaking a few ribs and causing serious contusions to her face and giving her a severe concussion. Thank goodness, the man fled when she screamed and the injuries were not as serious as they were, that she wasn't raped or killed. The man who broke in was about 6' and over 200 pounds. My wife is 4'11 and 96 pounds.

Luckily she was able to call my cell, and I was able to get home quickly, at the time my home was less than a 2 minute drive from work. I dialed 911 and the police got there within 10 minutes. Where it gets maddening is what happened after. Two police officers showed up and searched around the house. While comforting my wife and rendering first aid, I heard a couple of gunshots. The police woman came in the house and explained to me how she had fired the shots in anger and frustration because the assailant was not there!

Now, I don't want to disparage the sentiment this woman had, but for crying out loud that is not the sort of thing a police officer should do!

That said, firing wildly into the jungle was the least of my complaints about the CNMI DPS! After my wife's treatment, nobody from the police came to ask my wife any questions. I called the police daily for three weeks straight trying to get a hold of a detective. Finally two officers came to our home 21 days after the assault to show my wife some mug shots...by the way, the officer admitted that they only brought one of the books and they had more at the station. No follow-up was ever made, despite the fact that there was by the police's own admission that there was a known rapist and burglar in my neighborhood and that he was a suspect. My wife never was shown a line up and did not return any calls...The bastard was never apprehended despite my neighbor having a general description of the perp and the fact that there were other break ins in my neighborhood that week.

But in a way, I am glad they didn't catch the person because our courts never hand out any real convictions, especially to "locals" (which the attacker was). Often in cases like this, the attacker would get something like 1-5 years in prison, ALL SUSPENDED except for maybe a couple of months, with time served. Then possibly they might make the bastard write a letter of apology to be published in the local paper. It is complete ********! It happens all the time.

Furthermore, there have been an increasing number of attacks and burglaries at tourists spots. Just last week a Russian tourist was attacked with a screwdriver and carjacked. And despite the complete handgun ban, we have gun crime, often committed by cops and government cronies with permission to carry such as domestic violence and drug dealing. In fact, just two years ago, DEA arrested the Governor's bodyguard (who by the way had a criminal record!) for dealing crystal meth from the Governor's vehicle (he was also the Gov's driver). Meanwhile when I, a law abiding citizen go to apply for a permit to buy a .410 shotgun to defend my home after this assault on my wife, am told that I have no legitimate reason for one!

Now, I like Saipan in general. It is beautiful. No snow. I like my job and rent is cheap. Like any place it has its problems and you live with them. But the fact is our courts and police have proven to me to be completely inadequate and not worthy of my trust.

I have emailed the NRA and Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership about getting some sort of help in protecting our Constitutional Rights here. I am not the only person here who has been let down by the system.

In Detroit, I had a handgun and was able to stop a home invasion. The presence of an armed person in the home was enough to make the burglar run away without hurting anyone. I never have had any desire to harm anyone and am thankful that I did not have to. What bugs me here is that criminals act with impunity because they know that there are no consequences for their actions! I would like to help find a way to bring the consequences of the responsibly armed citizen to the criminals of these islands. Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for listening.

I feel for you. If I recall, the CNMI Weapons ID card still has the option to check the box for a handgun. I recommend applying for a handgun endorsement for a Weapons ID card and when you are denied, you can file in the 9th Circuit. This is a slam dunk since Heller already dealt with this.

Handgun Bans have been shot down in D.C. and in Chicago.

The honest problem is that the CNMI is too corrupt and too stupid to know about the changes from SCOTUS, the same goes for American Samoa.

I really think you should contact the Second Amendment Foundation because this is a slam dunk and it's more of a procedural court issue. It's not groundbreaking at all.

On a side note, I wonder how the morons who run CNMI deal with anyone who carries under the Law Enforcement Officer's Safety Act, since they can't keep people who qualify under the act from carrying ANY firearm that is not NFA material.
 

Gray Peterson

Founder's Club Member - Moderator
Joined
May 12, 2006
Messages
2,236
Location
Lynnwood, Washington, USA
Hi, I am new here and found the forum, looking at gun rights sites. I have lived in the Northern Mariana Islands for about five and a half years now. Two years on Tinian, and three and a half on Saipan. I had moved here from the Detroit Area. I had previously worked as a public school teacher in Detroit.

The posts regarding the conditions in the Northern Marianas are essentially correct. There is a complete handgun ban, and restrictions, licensing etc on long guns. .223, .22 and .410 are all that is allowed and ammo sales is highly restricted. Furthermore, when applying for a permit, on the application the reason for applying is requested. Self defense is not an acceptable reason I was told by the Department of Public Safety official when I looked into it.

I guess what has prompted me to post here is sheer anger and frustration at the situation. I just received a medical bill for $882.63 for my wife's emergency room visit from last year. This visit was a result of a man breaking into my home and mercilessly beating her, breaking a few ribs and causing serious contusions to her face and giving her a severe concussion. Thank goodness, the man fled when she screamed and the injuries were not as serious as they were, that she wasn't raped or killed. The man who broke in was about 6' and over 200 pounds. My wife is 4'11 and 96 pounds.

Luckily she was able to call my cell, and I was able to get home quickly, at the time my home was less than a 2 minute drive from work. I dialed 911 and the police got there within 10 minutes. Where it gets maddening is what happened after. Two police officers showed up and searched around the house. While comforting my wife and rendering first aid, I heard a couple of gunshots. The police woman came in the house and explained to me how she had fired the shots in anger and frustration because the assailant was not there!

Now, I don't want to disparage the sentiment this woman had, but for crying out loud that is not the sort of thing a police officer should do!

That said, firing wildly into the jungle was the least of my complaints about the CNMI DPS! After my wife's treatment, nobody from the police came to ask my wife any questions. I called the police daily for three weeks straight trying to get a hold of a detective. Finally two officers came to our home 21 days after the assault to show my wife some mug shots...by the way, the officer admitted that they only brought one of the books and they had more at the station. No follow-up was ever made, despite the fact that there was by the police's own admission that there was a known rapist and burglar in my neighborhood and that he was a suspect. My wife never was shown a line up and did not return any calls...The bastard was never apprehended despite my neighbor having a general description of the perp and the fact that there were other break ins in my neighborhood that week.

But in a way, I am glad they didn't catch the person because our courts never hand out any real convictions, especially to "locals" (which the attacker was). Often in cases like this, the attacker would get something like 1-5 years in prison, ALL SUSPENDED except for maybe a couple of months, with time served. Then possibly they might make the bastard write a letter of apology to be published in the local paper. It is complete ********! It happens all the time.

Furthermore, there have been an increasing number of attacks and burglaries at tourists spots. Just last week a Russian tourist was attacked with a screwdriver and carjacked. And despite the complete handgun ban, we have gun crime, often committed by cops and government cronies with permission to carry such as domestic violence and drug dealing. In fact, just two years ago, DEA arrested the Governor's bodyguard (who by the way had a criminal record!) for dealing crystal meth from the Governor's vehicle (he was also the Gov's driver). Meanwhile when I, a law abiding citizen go to apply for a permit to buy a .410 shotgun to defend my home after this assault on my wife, am told that I have no legitimate reason for one!

Now, I like Saipan in general. It is beautiful. No snow. I like my job and rent is cheap. Like any place it has its problems and you live with them. But the fact is our courts and police have proven to me to be completely inadequate and not worthy of my trust.

I have emailed the NRA and Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership about getting some sort of help in protecting our Constitutional Rights here. I am not the only person here who has been let down by the system.

In Detroit, I had a handgun and was able to stop a home invasion. The presence of an armed person in the home was enough to make the burglar run away without hurting anyone. I never have had any desire to harm anyone and am thankful that I did not have to. What bugs me here is that criminals act with impunity because they know that there are no consequences for their actions! I would like to help find a way to bring the consequences of the responsibly armed citizen to the criminals of these islands. Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for listening.

David,

Please reach out to the Second Amendment Foundation at 425-454-7012, and ask for Dave Workman. Tell them Gray sent you, and that you want to potentially challenge the handgun licensing and possession ban in the CNMI.

-Gray
 

David Radich

New member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
2
Location
Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islan
David,

Please reach out to the Second Amendment Foundation at 425-454-7012, and ask for Dave Workman. Tell them Gray sent you, and that you want to potentially challenge the handgun licensing and possession ban in the CNMI.

-Gray

Thank you!, I Think I will do that.

The next question, say for the sake of argument that happens. How to get ammunition? I know that to even buy .410 shells, you need a bunch of paperwork, and the cost is very prohibitive...$15.00 for 5 rounds, last I checked, and they didn't stock .22 LR at the time. I didn't even look for .223.

I will let you know how it turns out.

Dave
 
Top