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Fire Chief arrested over storing firarms at office

Shawn Mitola

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
138
Location
Shelton
Why would you leave it in your home or car?

I should have clarified, My wife works for the city of Ansonia and it is clearly posted in the building that the Fire Chief's office is in that there are no firearms allowed in the building. That and I guess as long as you are complying with laws regarding the storage of firearms you'd be ok but in this case he knew he was wrong.

BTW he wasn't arrested he was placed on leave KIX there has been no indication that he will be arrested.

The rumor however is that he was holding NRA pistol safety classes in the building against city policies.
 
Last edited:

Rich B

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Joined
Oct 13, 2009
Messages
2,909
Location
North Branford, Connecticut, USA
I should have clarified, My wife works for the city of Ansonia and it is clearly posted in the building that the Fire Chief's office is in that there are no firearms allowed in the building. That and I guess as long as you are complying with laws regarding the storage of firearms you'd be ok but in this case he knew he was wrong.

BTW he wasn't arrested he was placed on leave KIX there has been no indication that he will be arrested.

The rumor however is that he was holding NRA pistol safety classes in the building against city policies.

I refuse to make a villain out of someone who is the victim of a crime.
 

Shawn Mitola

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
138
Location
Shelton
I see your point. it is crappy that his property was stolen. The thought that someone is running around with your guns doing god knows what is a horrible enough feeling.

Unfortunately he is going to be crucified for having them in his office where they weren't supposed to be which is going to be a double whammy for him.

I'm not making a villain out of him I'm just stating the fact that he should have known better.
 

thebigsd

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Messages
3,535
Location
Quarryville, PA
His only real mistake was not properly securing the firearms. Regardless of where you keep your guns they need to be in a safe or somewhere else secure if not on your person or under your immediate control. While I disagree with it, he very well may lose his job.
 

Rich B

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2009
Messages
2,909
Location
North Branford, Connecticut, USA
His only real mistake was not properly securing the firearms. Regardless of where you keep your guns they need to be in a safe or somewhere else secure if not on your person or under your immediate control. While I disagree with it, he very well may lose his job.

Since we don't know the particulars, there is no point in judging this guy.

Safes don't mean that someone couldn't still get in. For all we know there could have been safes involved.
 

thebigsd

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Mar 23, 2010
Messages
3,535
Location
Quarryville, PA
Since we don't know the particulars, there is no point in judging this guy.

Safes don't mean that someone couldn't still get in. For all we know there could have been safes involved.

The article very clearly says twice that the door was forced open. I am taking this to mean that everything was secured simply by that door. If I am wrong, I will retract my statement, but I fairly sure I was correct in what I said. I already said I don't think he should lose his job. Not passing judgement, but I am stating the obvious when it comes to securing firearms.
 

Mopar

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
29
Location
, Connecticut, USA
I hate to judge the guy either, and it sucks his property was stolen, and it sucks he's going to lose his job.
But it's a fact the building his office is in is posted no firearms. And it's a fact he was using his office to teach pistol classes. It was even posted on his website that the classes were held in the Fire Chief's office with directions there, though since this happened he's taken his website down. Pretty much every town has rules about use of town property, and using town property for personal financial gain is not something generally allowed. As the Chief, I'm sure he knew the rules. He ignored them instead of working to change them, and sadly now he's going to pay for that.
 

dcmdon

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
469
Location
Old Saybrook, CT
This is great to see. It takes a lot of guts for the Mayor to do that. The rules are the rules, if you don't like them, work to change them.

Firemen, particularly since 9/11, tend to see themselves as a bit above the law, just like cops.
This smackdown will serve two purposes:

1) put the fire chief in his place
2) serve to illustrate how stupid it is to have a no weapons policy.

Don
 

Ctclassic

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
172
Location
Plainfield, CT, ,
I'll throw my .02 in....I have a problem with what the Mayor had said to a reporter, talking about the guns being stolen (paraprasing), "....my first concern is for the safety of the citizens of Ansonia". Well, what about the safety of his employees, after all the chief must have had some reason to have said firearms there in the first place. Think about it, his place was broken into. Could be he had a reason to believe someone was after him. I know it's all speculative.
 

KIX

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
960
Location
, ,
BTW he wasn't arrested he was placed on leave KIX there has been no indication that he will be arrested.

I stand corrected. I know what I said was wrong on the arrest. I heard arrest in the lead in to the piece on TV before a commercial break. They didn't say it on the actual article, but it stuck in my head after hearing it and.... well.... you know....

But if it was clearly posted, he goofed and should work to change it. We have to follow these idiotic rules as well, so......

Sucks that his stuff was stolen though.

Jonathan
 
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