[Unisaw]

According to the clerk at the local Office Depot, it is against Federal law to laminate any government-issued document (Federal, state, or local). :confused:

Fact or fiction?

[KC]

It might be considered 'defacement'; why I dont know, but heck, it's the Government. Certainly it's illegal to make copies of some federal documents. People have gone to jail for having had their picture taken with them holding objects recognizeable as US currency. (Not lately, mind you.)

[Mal H]

Fiction.

Otherwise why would the U.S. State Dept. laminate the info page of a passport. Why would the various states laminate your drivers license?
When I picked up my CHL the last time, the Clerk of the Court said, "These are printed on plain paper and are good for 5 years so we recommend that you laminate it so it will last."

[AZTOY]

I was told you can't laminate your S.S card.:confused:

[Mal H]

KC - "People have gone to jail for having had their picture taken with them holding objects recognizeable as US currency."

I can't say for absolute certain, but I believe that has turned out to be an urban legend sort of like the stories that used to go around about people who got in trouble fro removing the tags from their pillows or furniture when they first starting using them. The gov't even had to reword the tags so people wouldn't be afraid to toudh them after they bought the article.

The Secret Service will certainly get on your case if you photograph currency with the intent to counterfeit it. But incidental photographs of currency are not against the law and never have been.

[number6]

And I was told you can't remove that label from pillows. But I do it anyway. :neener:

[KC]

"But incidental photographs of currency are not against the law and never have been."

This is incorrect. It's not something that Treasury Dept. has really gone after for 35+ years, but they have in the past.

About 15 years ago, there was a company in San Diego that had a really neat advertising gimmic. They had business cards that looked like a folded-up $20 bill--not the whole thing, mind you, only about 1" worth, and it was incomplete at that. They were chased down by the FBI and made to destroy all they had, and promise to never do that again.

[Mal H]

AZTOY - I had heard that also. As it turns out, the SSA "discourages" you from laminating your card due to the possibility of damaging some security features on the card. They don't say you specifically cannot laminate it.

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=iCknQhRg&p_lva=&p_faqid=624&p_created=1017795231&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9ncmlkc29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1sYW1pbmF0ZSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPTMmcF9jYXRfbHZsMT0xNiZwX2NhdF9sdmwyPX5hbnl_JnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=

[Mal H]

KC - That is bordering on counterfeit. I am talking about pictures of money being held or included incidentally in a photograph such that the photo cannot possibly be construed to be taken solely to counterfeit the currency. Not macro pictures of currency and only the currency.

[AZTOY]

Mal H

Thank you

[Standing Wolf]

I find it hard to believe the federales would care about defaced social security cards, since perfectly convincing fakes are readily available in Los Angeles for $50.

[sensop]

Military ID cards are laminated. That's a federal document.

[Art Eatman]

I got my Social Insecurity card in 1952. Tell me again about "security features"?

:D, Art

[C.R.Sam]

For Social Security Purposes only. Not for identification.

Times were simpler then, sorta.

Shoot Art, even our driver's licenses weren't laminated then.

Sam

[Destructo6]

They can do the laminating, you can't. You know, like machineguns.

[Unisaw]

Just to keep this gun-related, the document in question was a concealed pistol license. I suspect this clerk read something more specific and has blown this out of proportion. Why would the Federal government care if I laminate a flimsy paper permit issued by a local PD?

[Mike Irwin]

Bullo Sheeto...

The County Sheriff's office in Pennsylvania, when I got my PA CCW, told me to take it down to the office supply store and get it laminated.

On hearing that from the Deputy, the Sheriff, a friend of mine from when I was on the newspaper, took it and laminated it for me himself on the office laminater.

When I got my CCW in Fairfax County, Virginia, I was advised to laminate it immediately as it is good for 5 years and is only a thin piece of paper.

[Mike Irwin]

""People have gone to jail for having had their picture taken with them holding objects recognizeable as US currency."


Another bullo sheeto...

I spent nearly 10 years of my career in newspapers, magazines, and advertising before I landed my current job.

There are specific guidelines that must be followed when a newspaper, magazine, or advertisement shows a reproduction of money.

Specifically...

"PART 411 -- COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS OF UNITED STATES CURRENCY
Authority: 18 U.S.C. 504; Treasury Directive Number 15-56, 58 FR 48539
(September 16, 1993)

411.1 Color illustrations authorized.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 25 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, authority is hereby given for the printing, publishing or importation, or the making or importation of the necessary plates or items for such printing or publishing, of color illustrations of U.S. currency provided that:

(1) The illustration be of a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension, of each part of any matter so illustrated;

(2) The illustration be one-sided; and

(3) All negatives, plates, positives, digitized storage medium, graphic files, magnetic medium, optical storage devices, and any other thing used in the making of the illustration that contain an image of the illustration or any part thereof shall be destroyed and/or deleted or erased after their final use in accordance with this section. "

That's from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.


Here's a link to the Secret Service website with more informaiton on reproducing other devices of obligation...

http://www.secretservice.gov/money_illustrations.shtml


The law was updated in 1992, but was largely the same in the 1980s when I started with the newspaper.




Uh oh....

KC, you may be right...


Title 18, Chapter 25, Paragraph 475...


"CITE 18 USC Sec. 475 01/26/98
EXPCITE TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 25 - COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY
TEXT Sec. 475. Imitating obligations or securities; advertisements
Whoever designs, engraves, prints, makes, or executes, or utters,
issues, distributes, circulates, or uses any business or
professional card, notice, placard, circular, handbill, or
advertisement in the likeness or similitude of any obligation or
security of the United States issued under or authorized by any Act
of Congress or writes, prints, or otherwise impresses upon or
attaches to any such instrument, obligation, or security, or any
coin of the United States, any business or professional card,
notice, or advertisement, or any notice or advertisement whatever,
shall be fined under this title.
SOURCE (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 706; July 16, 1951, ch. 226, Sec.
2, 65 Stat. 122; Sept. 13, 1994, Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII,
Sec. 330016(1)(G), 108 Stat. 2147.)
NOTES HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 292 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch.
321, Sec. 177, 35 Stat. 1122).
Enumeration of obligations of the United States was omitted in
view of definition in section 8 of this title.
Changes in phraseology were also made.
AMENDMENTS
1994 - Pub. L. 103-322 substituted ''fined under this title'' for
''fined not more than $500''.
1951 - Act July 16, 1951, prohibited use of notices or
advertising prints or labels on United States coins.
CROSSREF CANAL ZONE
Applicability of section to Canal Zone, see section 14 of this
title.
SECREF SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS
This section is referred to in section 14 of this title."



Dang.

Now I'm REALLY confused!

Which is correct?

[priv8ter]

As far a Concealed Carry Permits go, here in Washington, mine and my wife's came to us in the mail already laminated...

[Keith]

They can take my laminated social security card from my cold dead hands!

Keith

[bobs1066]

We are Dyslexia of Borg, your *ss will be laminated!

[David Roberson]

North Carolina concealed hangun permits issued through the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office are laminated by the sheriff's office before they hand them over to the owners.