Now THAT'S a SCARY story. Talk about police abuse. The 2nd link didn't work, but hopefully he got somekind of justice eventually.
Oops - update link fixed. And no, it doesn't look like he's going to get much justice in Philly, but he may go ahead and plead (he says in the link) so that he can get his record expunged and his RKBA restored later. Maybe.
You know, I don't want to get into a cop-bashing thread, or argue back-and-forth about legal techniques or whatever. What's occupying my mind now after reading this is:
What happened to the police?
I mean, when did the police, or if you like, the DA or courts or whoever, become our adversaries?! Why should we have to treat them like they're "out to get us", just to protect ourselves? What the hell happened to us being on the same side?
Seriously, I understand that I shouldn't tar all police with the same brush, and that most LEOs are not slavering gun-grabbing jackboots. But, still, the advice given in these situations is almost universal, no matter where you live: shut up; lawyer-up; don't help; keep quiet; don't volunteer information; stonewall; make them do all the work; etc, etc, et-freakin'-cetera.
God, doesn't this BOTHER people? In order to C our A's, we've got to essentially become dead weight in the legal system! Don't fight, but merely make them carry all the load. Even though they're probably fine, hardworking public servants, we've got to act as if they aren't, as if they really are our enemies - just in case one of them actually is.
I don't....I'm not blaming cops. Or lawyers. Or, well, anybody. I don't know who is to blame, if anyone even is. I'm just tired and saddened and a little bit pissed that all this legal rigamarole has become so necessary these days.
This isn't how it should be! But it is and I don't know if it ever will, or can, change.
...sigh. Well, sorry for the rant. It just bugged me.