Man arrested for threatening Party official with rifle.

[Erebus]

Yikes

Suspect Arrested In Republican Party Scare

POSTED: 2:43 pm PDT April 24, 2007
UPDATED: 3:09 pm PDT April 24, 2007

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- By Frank Curreri FOX5Vegas.com

A man has been arrested in connection with an incident earlier this month, when someone pressed a rifle to the face of a Nevada Republican Party official and threatened to "take action" if President George W. Bush vetoed a particular piece of legislation.

Authorities said the suspect, 31-year-old Matthew Hunter Kramer, was captured on Tuesday and that a large cache of weapons were discovered inside of his vehicle -- including three swords, a flare gun with .12-gauge shotgun shells and a .12 gauge shotgun. Las Vegas police did not reveal the particular bill that outraged Kramer, but said he told his victim he would kill everyone at the Republican offices when he returned.

Police said Kramer had went to the Nevada Republican Party offices in southern Nevada on April 3 and originally asked an official there how he could join the party. Kramer somehow coaxed an office manager outside, then stuck a rifle in his face, police said. Authorities arrested Kramer on felony warrants after he left his home Wednesday. He has been booked into Clark County Detention Center, and faces charges for criminal syndicalism, assault with a deadly weapon and aiming a firearm at a human being, police said.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Wow!

I've been worried about this "Criminal Syndicalism" crime ever since I found it lurking in Oklahoma law. You must be very careful what you write. This law can be a catch-all for anyone who dissents.

Obviously, the actions of Matthew Hunter Kramer would warrant such charges, but it wouldn't be much of a leap for worried legislators and law enforcement officials to slap such charges on someone espousing "From my cold, dead hands". I think such law offends the First Amendment. It's enough that Kramer threatened someone with death for him to be charged, tried, convicted, and imprisoned. This "criminal syndicalism" is unnecessary and only stifles the freedom of speech.

Woody

"There is nothing to fear in this country from free people. But, when freedom is usurped, there is something to fear for people will revolt to remain free. To all usurpers, do the math. But don't wonder the outcome when you miscalculate." B.E.Wood

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Is it too much to ask that reporters know a ".12 gauge shotgun" from a rifle? And if three swords, a flare gun and a 12 gauge are "a large cache of weapons" then they are going to be flat out flabbergasted just by what I carry to the range.

 

[Erebus]

I would assume that the criminal syndicalism charge would stem from the threat of action if Bush vetos what he doesn't want vetoed. I don't see any charges relating to the criminal threatening.

 

[pdowg881]

Not to hijack the topic, but the comment about prosecuting dissenters reminds me of an article I read where it said Putin was trying to put forth measures that would allow him to declare a group that held protests over him as extremists. Supposably this would give them increased excuses and authority to arrest them. Made me think of one of the beginning steps to establish dictatorships. Disarm and round up opposition.

 

[Jeff White]

It seems like this incident illustrates why we need to regulate the hate speech that's coming out of Congress these days. It wasn't video games, or violent TV or movies that motivated this attack. It was Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Henry Waxman Harry Reid and Dick Durbin who caused this.

Jeff

 

[yhtomit]

"Police said Kramer had went"?

Come on, copy editors! I know you're busy trying to catch up on the latest in the "magazines" v. "clips" war, but seriously, you should have perhaps swapped a "gone" into there ...

timothy