An 84-year-old man who kept nearly 500 guns, 800 pounds of gunpowder and 75,000 rounds of ammunition at his Ridgefield home pleaded guilty Tuesday to creating a community hazard.
Sherwin Raymond had rejected plea offers since his arrest in 2005 and insisted that his stash of rifles and pistols was nothing more than that of a gun enthusiast.
On Tuesday, however, after jurors were picked for his trial in state Superior Court in Hackensack, Raymond took a plea deal that requires him to serve up to five years' probation.
Instead of getting his guns back, Raymond also agreed to have a dealer sell them and turn over the proceeds.
"I feel it's a practical resolution for Mr. Raymond," Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Marybel Ramirez said. "The state doesn't take any pleasure in prosecuting an elderly man, but if you break the law, you will be prosecuted."
Raymond admitted in court that he kept gunpowder in his garage, where static could have sparked an explosion and a fire in the neighborhood.
"I am pleased that the police did a great job and we were able to save the community from a possibly catastrophic explosion," Ramirez said.
Responding to a series of questions from Ramirez and defense lawyer Richard Gilbert, Raymond also admitted that he possessed a large-capacity magazine that could carry up to 30 bullets. It is illegal under state law to own a firearm magazine that carries more than 15 rounds.
Had he been convicted in a trial, Raymond would have faced up to 10 years in prison.
Raymond, however, was not charged with possession of the guns, most of which were not registered. There is no clear legislation or case law that requires the weapons to be registered, prosecutors said.
Despite having two prior convictions, Raymond also could not be charged with violating a law that prohibits certain convicts from possessing weapons.
Raymond, once a licensed physician, was convicted in the 1960s of performing abortions when they were illegal. He was also convicted in federal court on weapons charges in the 1970s, after which his doctor's license was revoked.
The law that prohibits some convicts from purchasing or possessing weapons only covers certain convictions, including murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, aggravated assault and sexual assault. It does not cover Raymond's convictions.
Police said they found the stash on May 31, 2005, when neighbors called 911 to alert them that Raymond's wife, Elizabeth Raymond, was wandering around disoriented. Elizabeth Raymond, 83, suffered from Alzheimer's disease, they said.
Officers took her back to her home, where they spotted the guns and gunpowder.
Raymond, whose hearing is impaired, followed the proceedings through transcripts typed onto a computer screen by a stenographer.
At one point he angered Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Roma when he said he couldn't read the words "Explosives" from a photo of a gunpowder container that was seized from his home.
After Roma threatened him with a perjury charge for not being truthful, Raymond's reading improved.
"It says 'Explosives' but I don't know what is in there," he said.
Ramirez told Roma that the gunpowder and the bullets were destroyed by court order.
Investigators have tested the guns and determined that none of them had been used in a crime, prosecutors said.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/crimeandcourts/Man_with_500_guns_dodges_a_bullet.html
Raymond is scheduled for sentencing on June 6.
Sherwin Raymond had rejected plea offers since his arrest in 2005 and insisted that his stash of rifles and pistols was nothing more than that of a gun enthusiast.
On Tuesday, however, after jurors were picked for his trial in state Superior Court in Hackensack, Raymond took a plea deal that requires him to serve up to five years' probation.
Instead of getting his guns back, Raymond also agreed to have a dealer sell them and turn over the proceeds.
"I feel it's a practical resolution for Mr. Raymond," Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Marybel Ramirez said. "The state doesn't take any pleasure in prosecuting an elderly man, but if you break the law, you will be prosecuted."
Raymond admitted in court that he kept gunpowder in his garage, where static could have sparked an explosion and a fire in the neighborhood.
"I am pleased that the police did a great job and we were able to save the community from a possibly catastrophic explosion," Ramirez said.
Responding to a series of questions from Ramirez and defense lawyer Richard Gilbert, Raymond also admitted that he possessed a large-capacity magazine that could carry up to 30 bullets. It is illegal under state law to own a firearm magazine that carries more than 15 rounds.
Had he been convicted in a trial, Raymond would have faced up to 10 years in prison.
Raymond, however, was not charged with possession of the guns, most of which were not registered. There is no clear legislation or case law that requires the weapons to be registered, prosecutors said.
Despite having two prior convictions, Raymond also could not be charged with violating a law that prohibits certain convicts from possessing weapons.
Raymond, once a licensed physician, was convicted in the 1960s of performing abortions when they were illegal. He was also convicted in federal court on weapons charges in the 1970s, after which his doctor's license was revoked.
The law that prohibits some convicts from purchasing or possessing weapons only covers certain convictions, including murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, aggravated assault and sexual assault. It does not cover Raymond's convictions.
Police said they found the stash on May 31, 2005, when neighbors called 911 to alert them that Raymond's wife, Elizabeth Raymond, was wandering around disoriented. Elizabeth Raymond, 83, suffered from Alzheimer's disease, they said.
Officers took her back to her home, where they spotted the guns and gunpowder.
Raymond, whose hearing is impaired, followed the proceedings through transcripts typed onto a computer screen by a stenographer.
At one point he angered Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Roma when he said he couldn't read the words "Explosives" from a photo of a gunpowder container that was seized from his home.
After Roma threatened him with a perjury charge for not being truthful, Raymond's reading improved.
"It says 'Explosives' but I don't know what is in there," he said.
Ramirez told Roma that the gunpowder and the bullets were destroyed by court order.
Investigators have tested the guns and determined that none of them had been used in a crime, prosecutors said.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/crimeandcourts/Man_with_500_guns_dodges_a_bullet.html
Raymond is scheduled for sentencing on June 6.
![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
![[laugh2]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/014.gif "Laugh at above [laugh2]")
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
![[angry]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/008.gif "Angry [angry]")
![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
The gun/weapon regs down there make someone think they're not even in the US anymore. 
