Vietnam War hero sentenced to 7 years for decades-old rifle purchase: report

[Aim1]

Sounds like his big problem was buying a gun with the serial numbers scratched off and fully automatic which is definitely illegal.

With sentencing discretion this hero definitely doesn't need to go to jail for 7 years. Multiple felon angbangers get less time than he did.



https://www.foxnews.com/us/vietnam-...7-years-for-decades-old-rifle-purchase-report

Vietnam War hero sentenced to 7 years for decades-old rifle purchase: report

A decorated Vietnam veteran and firearms collector was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Wednesday for a decades-old purchase of a rifle.

Alfred Pick, 70, purchased the M14 -- a fully automatic weapon illegal to own -- at a Ft. Worth gun show in the early 1980s, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The rifle, which had a scratched-off serial number, was similar to the one Pick used as an Army lieutenant in Vietnam, where he earned a Silver Star after participating in more than 100 combat missions and his brief time as a POW.

 

[ontarget]

Too damn bad our justice system can't tell the good guys from the bad. I was personally told by a prosecutor that a firearm charge is the first thing they will plea bargain away to secure a guilty plea on another charge. Makes no sense to me. As far as I'm concerned this Hero should have been allowed to keep his issued M14 when he separated from service. I get it that the serial number was defaced which is illegal but come on .gov, is this guy a real threat to society? Take the gun away and write him a fine.

 

[RETG]

One part says he should have known better and be able to recognize a full auto, but who knows. But he sure should have known the filed off serial number made it illegal. But my other part as being a Vietnam vet, would like Donald Trump to issue a pardon immediately with the caveat that this gun is destroyed.

Sending him to prison serves no purpose and is sort of insulting since there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other Federal gun laws that are violated each year by actual felons and never prosecuted to the fullest extent.

 

[somethingbenign]

This is really hard for me since my current argument with friends and family against further gun laws is to just enforce the current ones and see what they do first. Here they are enforcing the law, the fact the guy has military history shouldn't make him above the law anymore than membership of any other demographic. I won't condem his for the full auto part, it sounds like it was a display piece and in reasonable doubt that it was ever fired under his care. The serial number is the real damning part of this, I can't think of a way to defend that.

 

[Officers'Wife]

This is one case that clearly needs to have a petition started asking for a full pardon and sent to Mr Trump. If I had any influence with the judge I would have asked him to specify that the defendant proved not only beyond a reasonable doubt to be in violation of the law but an ongoing insult to the peace and dignity of their society.

Unfortunately I have too little faith in the justice system to believe either will happen.

 

[kcofohio]

I read the article this morning. My one of many questions is, what tipped off the ATF to raid his place ro begin with?

 

[JONWILL]

he was a firearms collector and scratched-off the serial number,

He knew it was illegal, Plus defacing the serial number is also illegal.

He was stupid for showing it to people. That is they only way, that I know, the Police could have found out about it.

That being said, I think anyone should be able to own an Automatic firearm without a license. No good reason we can't.

I did know of a guy that probably had a functioning STG44 that his Grandpa brought back from the War. This was 25 years ago.

I never saw it, but when he described it to me I knew exactly what he had.

He lived in the country and went out and shot it until the ammo ran out. Grandpa brought back some ammo with it also..

He did turn it in when I told him if he got caught with it he might be convicted and have a felony on his record

 

[ontarget]

Good point KC. My whole problem with this case is that when there is a real crime committed with a gun by a violent felon, they are more than willing to plea bargain the gun change away and then go and throw the book at this guy. Yes he broke the law, I get that. I just wish our justice system applied the law equally across the board.

 

[JONWILL]

Good point KC. My whole problem with this case is that when there is a real crime committed with a gun by a violent felon, they are more than willing to plea bargain the gun change away and then go and throw the book at this guy. Yes he broke the law, I get that. I just wish our justice system applied the law equally across the board.

I bet if the serial number hadn't been filed off they would have just confiscated it and the sentence might only be probation.

 

[Aim1]

Good point KC. My whole problem with this case is that when there is a real crime committed with a gun by a violent felon, they are more than willing to plea bargain the gun change away and then go and throw the book at this guy. Yes he broke the law, I get that. I just wish our justice system applied the law equally across the board.

Exactly. There’s multiple time felons who get probation and no jail time.


So not sure this guy needs 7 years. Plus, sounds like he never even shot it. Just a collectors piece (doesn’t make less illegal) but I can tell you a gangbanger isn’t just collecting them.

And do you think a celebrity or famous person would get 7 years?

 

[jmorris]

He knew it was illegal, Plus defacing the serial number is also illegal.

He was stupid for showing it to people. That is they only way, that I know, the Police could have found out about it.

That being said, I think anyone should be able to own an Automatic firearm without a license. No good reason we can't.

I agree across the board, not to mention up until May 19 1986 he could have legally obtained or even built one himself. Folks vote people in office, they then make laws we have to obide by or face the punishment.

I wonder who it was he showed it to that turned him in?

I also agree with the “selective enforcement” arguments. Possess, distribute, use (Federally) illegal substance and it’s crickets from the DEA. Illegally enter the US, not only will we not arrest you, we will give you free stuff. It’s really not selective enforcement as much as political enforcement and that’s wrong. If a law is not applied to all, evenly, they should be eliminated.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

Aren't M-14 serial numbers stamped on the rear of the receiver? That takes some serious effort to remove and isn't exactly subtle. It's crappy that this guy got arrested right after his wife died, for a collection gun... and "real criminals" skate on weapons charges.... but, this guy did have three decades to realize he's living dangerous and cut the gun up with a wheel, weld a steel rod in the barrel or do anything else to deactivate the gun.

 

[Wisco]

I’m not sure veteran status should exempt one from the law, however dumb we find the law. It’s not as if his military service is a mitigating factor in his crime in the same way is seen in veteran-specific courts for drugs, alcohol, etc. relating to mental health.

I wish the guy all the best, but he likely knew better.

As for selective enforcement? It sucks. But you know what generally ensures you aren’t selectively prosecuted? Not committing crimes.

For a display piece, he could’ve had an M1A for exponentially less than a felony.

 

[Skgreen]

Like anything else, from either the MSM or from a news entertainment channel, it would be nice to have access to 100% of the information. Not just the parts that were picked out to be included in the story.

Problem is,,,, nobody really want's 'the whole truth',,,, With few exceptions, it would be rather boring, and take waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to long to 'digest'.

We'd much rather be shocked, outraged, inspired, thrilled, or even just reassured,,,, all within in a matter a few minutes,,,,, (Between commercial breaks, of course,,,)

 

[DeepSouth]

I talk to people all the time that don’t think they’ll get caught breaking firearm laws. They buy handguns across state lines, buy stolen guns, file off serial numbers, etc. And in their defense most don’t get caught.
This guy is the poster boy for why I abide by, and advise others to abide by laws I completely disagree with.

 

[alsaqr]

Problem is,,,, nobody really want's 'the whole truth',,,, With few exceptions, it would be rather boring, and take waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to long to 'digest'.

We'd much rather be shocked, outraged, inspired, thrilled, or even just reassured,,,, all within in a matter a few minutes,,,,, (Between commercial breaks, of course,,,)

Well said.

i'm pretty adept at googling: Not in this case. Discovered Mr. Pick plead guilty. Mr. Pick and his late wife used MJ: MJ was found during the search and the feds added a dope charge.

1. Yep, the man bought a stolen M14 rifle with a defaced serial number-not smart.

2. Mr. Pick is a decorated veteran and former POW.

3. A >7 year sentence is overkill. The feds plea bargain murder/manslaughter cases to less than seven years. "Saami The Bull" Gravano murdered 18 people for John Gotti and got witness protection.

 

[SSN Vet]

Confiscation, a fine and a week in the poke would have been more appropriate in my mind.

Justice has been absent from our nations justice system for a long time. IMO, it's largely about money and politics these days. I didn't really think this until I saw my brother's experience when his alcoholic wife accused him of threatening her. The police had hard evidence that her story was false the night of the report, yet it wasn't until they had tapped him dry 18 mos later, and were on the hook for his legal expenses as an indigent, that they actually looked at the facts and determined that they had no case.

The DA wanted to boast that she goes after domestic violence offenders... even after his wife left the state and wrote the court a notarized letter that she had no intention of returning to testify. They simply expected him to roll over and plea to a lesser charge. Instead, he retained council and stood up for himself.... but it cost him every penny he had.

 

[Browning]

I’m not sure veteran status should exempt one from the law, however dumb we find the law. It’s not as if his military service is a mitigating factor in his crime in the same way is seen in veteran-specific courts for drugs, alcohol, etc. relating to mental health.

I wish the guy all the best, but he likely knew better.

As for selective enforcement? It sucks. But you know what generally ensures you aren’t selectively prosecuted? Not committing crimes.

For a display piece, he could’ve had an M1A for exponentially less than a felony.

Not exactly a call for exemption, more like a call for leniency because ...

- He's 70. He'll probably die in prison now.
- Has never been in trouble before
- He's a combat veteran (service to our country counts for something)
- His wife just died of cancer

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I was personally told by a prosecutor that a firearm charge is the first thing they will plea bargain away to secure a guilty plea on another charge.

Well, about the only thing they had against him was the fact that he kept a stolen M14 "off the streets" in his private collection for thirty years. Nothing to plea bargain. So seven years. Our federal tax dollars at work, making us safe?


Added: a working link to the Dallas Morning News story.
Marc Ramirez, "Vietnam War hero from Plano gets 7 years in prison for decades-old rifle purchase", Dallas Morning News, 17 Oct 2018.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/gun...-sentenced-7-years-decades-old-rifle-purchase

 

[AlexanderA]

He knew better: (1) egregious NFA violation, (2) stolen government property, (3) defaced serial number. That he was a decorated veteran whose wife had just died were factors in mitigation of the penalty, but had nothing to do with guilt. His main problem was his attitude that he could just ignore the law. With that attitude, he probably broke other laws as well. We are seeing the tip of the iceberg here.

 

[Wisco]

Not exactly a call for exemption, more like a call for leniency because ...

- He's 70. He'll probably die in prison now.
- Has never been in trouble before
- He's a combat veteran (service to our country counts for something)
- His wife just died of cancer

Playing devils advocate...

He got away with the crime for 30 years already.

It’s expected one stays out of trouble.

Combat veteran or conscientious objector, we shouldn’t aspire to a multi-tier justice system.

Personal strife shouldn’t count for much in punishment.

Like I said, I wish him the best, but he willfully committed a federal crime and now has to do the time.

 

[cheygriz]

In a civilized society, we obey the law whether we agree with it or not.

If enough of us disagree with it, we can elect people who will change it. If not, we suck it up and get over it.

 

[Browning]

Playing devils advocate...

He got away with the crime for 30 years already.

It’s expected one stays out of trouble.

I get what you're saying and that's the way it should be (that one is expected to stay out of trouble), although it rarely is.

I'm just putting it out there that this isn't a case of someone who's been in and out of jail his entire life and who's constantly getting arrested while leaving a trail of victims behind him.

I mean c'mon, there are multiple advocacy groups for cop killers and terrorists and some of them are them are getting released from prison when they were originally given a death sentence.

Merely pointing out that besides this specific case he's never done anything.

Combat veteran or conscientious objector, we shouldn’t aspire to a multi-tier justice system.

During the guilt or innocence phase I completely agree.

During the penalty phase I'd disagree. To me a career criminal who has a string of convictions should receive a different sentence than someone who's made contributing something to society a way of life.

Where this one criminal action is an aberration rather than their usual course of action.

Personal strife shouldn’t count for much in punishment.

Why?

The court takes all kinds of situations into account that might mitigate the the sentence of the accused. If they're the sole provider of care for children, if they have some form of mental illness, if they were physically or sexually abused as children and so on and so forth.

Like I said, I wish him the best, but he willfully committed a federal crime and now has to do the time.

I have less of a problem with him getting charged and convicted than I do with the length of the sentence.

That's a ridiculously long sentence for a 70 year old prisoner, especially so when considering the crime, his life and the impact his crime had on society.

Might as well just execute him.

 

[FL-NC]

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the federal government for arresting this fellow warrior and keeping society safe #sarcasm.

 

[cheygriz]

Dope is a federal crime whether the state tries to legalize it or not.

The Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution establishes that the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the supreme law of the land.