Hi, ho, Mr. Bartlely, Crop here:
A cop on a bike rode up to the Missus who was waiting on the sidewalk for me to come help her check in. Gave her a note with his name, phone no. and wrote, "Arrested for having a gun".
The officers do not have to charge you for their arrest of you to have been lawful.
Isn't there supposed to be like, Probabable Cause? They can't just go around Lawfully Arresting people for having guns.
If you were in the car when they legally arrested you, and then searched the car, it was probably a legal search. They may have had all the PC they needed to arrerst you legaly, are you sure you know what the parking attendant told them.
I heard the complete exchange on the Rent a cop's Talkie.
RAC: "Hey, Officer Friendly (name changed to PTI), Theres a guy here who wants to know if he can park in Short Term with a Weapon in his car".
OF, "Is it loaded?"
RAC, bug eyed and looking down at it on the seat, "Yeah."
OF (quoting his understanding of FOPA, "Tell him he has to have it locked in the trunk in a container with the ammo in a separate container."
Me; "Tell him I don't have any containers in the trunk and ask him where is the lawful place for me to park."
RAC, repeats the question, still bug eyed and looking at the piece.
OF, "Tell him to park over in the long term lot."
Me; "I heard him, can you help me back out onto the circle?"
RAC: "OK"
Are the laws about carying at the airport the same as those in areas off of the airport property.
I was on the roadway going through the airport.
[aside]......The state of Missouri is
OPEN CARRY. The legislature, however legislated that individual cities, municipalities, counties, political subdivisions or whatever can prohibit by ordinance open carrying and yet still at that time it was a felony to have a concealed firearm in your vehicle. It didn't have to make sense, it was just the law.
The city of The Lou had prohibited open carry. The St. Louis Airport was/is owned by The Lou but is not within the city limits. The State Legislature has enacted that the St. Louis Airport is
it's own political subdivision. I guess tax loopholes or something. There was no ordinance prohibiting open carry at the airport. [/aside]
If there was don't you think they would have charged me?
I got the police report. In it is said, "The St. Louis County Prosecutor was asked and refused to prosecute. In the report they contacted FBI, no violations. A FBI guy came to the door of the room which had the bench with the pad eye in it to which I had been chained. Stood there for maybe 2 minutes, silent, looking at me like a dolt. If the great apes at the zoo have self awareness, I know how they feel.
I don't know what the fibbi was thinking, but I just looked back at him, silent, chained to my bench and thought.."What is this guy's problem?" I guess it's the arrogance of authority.
This whole thing was a circus. I was completly cooperative during the whole abuse.
One cop (after it became obvious that I would not be charged), offered to buy my piece. I hadda 'splain to him that he had to get permission from his CLEO.
One big fat woman seargant came in and asked, "Is this gun registered?" I smiled and said, "Yer not from around here are ya?" She said "ILLinois, why?" I said, "In Missouri we don't
register guns."
The cop who had been talking on the talkie to the RAC came in said, (something like) "They are next door trying to figure out what you will be charged with."
Later, he came in and hunkered down in front of me where I was still chained and said, "It looks like they found some little known loophole. It seems like you were on a "Lawful Journey" (maybe he said "peaceable") and that is an exception so maybe we won't charge you." I replied, "Sir, the law you are referencing is the "concealed weapon" law. What I was doing is called
Open Carry, which is lawful in Missouri."
It's like his eyes glossed over. He could not conceive of a citizen lawfully open carrying.
Sorry for the verbosity. I was committing a lawful act. The only way one could have probable cause is if one was ignorant of the law. Lawful Acts at that time were not crimes.