Heads up - 2.5 years in prison for possession of 22LR shell casing in MA if unlicensed

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Years ago when I took the gun safety class to get the gun permission slip and privilege to own and operate firearms in MA, I remember the instructor mentioning a little cautionary tale that iin MA before you have that holy grail LTC-A you're ever at a public range and rent guns and expend ammo, before you leave, to always check to see if any shell casings fall into one of your pockets or hoodie. Legally, if you ever get jammed up and stopped and searched by a cop and he finds a 22LR shell casing on you, if the cop wanted to be a dick about it, can put you in jail for a long time. I thought the instructor was trolling till I looked it up. Just today when I brought my buddy (who's a guest and unlicensed) to my range I told the guy to wash hands and do a shakedown check and lo and behold there was a single 22LR that landed in his hoodie. Always tell your gun newbie buddies to check for casings if they weren't blessed by their local police chiefs yet. Would most cops jam you up for a 22LR shell casing? Most likely no. Do dick cops exist and there is even a minute chance you might be unlucky enough to encounter one? Yes.

From MGL - a 22LR shell casing is "ammo". General Law - Part IV, Title I, Chapter 269, Section 10

[For purposes of this section, ''ammunition'' shall mean cartridges or cartridge cases, primers (igniter), bullets or propellant powder designed for use in any firearm, rifle or shotgun.]

[shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years, or for not less than 18 months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.]

Ouch.
 
Then the gun class instructors just like to mess with the newbies haha. Sat in on the missus's class and the guy pulled a similar story - make sure you don't have any spent shells on you or it's the slammer.
Don't get me wrong, they do charge people, but nobody is rotting in jail in MA only over a piece of brass.
 
all it took was a bunch of Karen's and a p*ssy MBTA bus driver to get this guy jammed up pretty good.

Still cost him a sh*tload in legal fees.




and this poor SOB in 2013


Ammo-belt wearing Mass. student gets probation​

Associated Press,August 9, 2013, 5:39 p.m.

A former Fitchburg State University student who was arrested while wearing a military-style ammunition belt on campus the day after he was expelled has been sentenced to a year of probation. Andrew Despres of New Bedford was arrested in December after being expelled for other infractions, then charged with illegal possession of a belt of semiautomatic-rifle ammunition, even though the shell casings had no bullets in them and were inert. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that Despres, 20, pleaded guilty Thursday to the trespassing charge and that the ammunition charge was dismissed. His lawyer and his mother said the ammo belt was simply a fashion statement.


And this guy too from 2007
LOWELL, Mass. -- A man is caught on his campus with ammunition, leading to a school-wide evacuation.
Police arrested James Moreau-Drew, 23, of Lexington for allegedly wearing a bullet belt, while walking around Middlesex Community College on Tuesday evening.

Moreau-Drew bought the ammo-belt on the Internet.
Authorities don't think it contained any live rounds. However, police and school officials said they wanted to take the situation seriously in light of the Virginia Tech shootings.
The student was arraigned in Lowell District Court on Wednesday. Moreau-Drew is facing public disturbance charges
 
When I lived in Mansfield, I made a Bolo Tie using my Purple Heart and polished, spent brass as the tips for the leather cord.

A Mansfield cop in the Cumberland Farms one day told me, "You know, if you don't have an FID card you are breaking the law with that tie?"

I just told him, "I heard that somewhere but I don't think any of you guy's in Mansfield would be petty enough to charge me for it!"

He just laughed......
 
the same Cumberland Farms where they used to sell Bullet key chains on the counter

61htmzNZSnL._AC_SL1416_.jpg
 
Don't get me wrong, they do charge people, but nobody is rotting in jail in MA only over a piece of brass.
Agreed. In the long run I think it would be better to check the soles of shoes for loose brass before going to your kids school to pick them up. That's gonna perk up some attention that doesn't need to happen.
 
the same Cumberland Farms where they used to sell Bullet key chains on the counter

61htmzNZSnL._AC_SL1416_.jpg
I made a cartridge out of a .44Mag for my key chain many years ago. Spent primer, hole drilled thru the case for the split ring and a bullet I recovered out of my TC Super 14. It was so old only the tip of the full jacket was poking out as the bullet had been beat up so bad in my pocket over the years.
Before TSA I was going to Vail by way of Logan to drive a van back and the "inspector" flipped out at me and called MSP. Trooper talks to the woman and then comes back to me with my keys while asking what was going on. I explained it, he returned the keys to me then was going back to have another "talk" with her.
 
Agreed. In the long run I think it would be better to check the soles of shoes for loose brass before going to your kids school to pick them up. That's gonna perk up some attention that doesn't need to happen.
I'm 74 years old and have better things to do then check the soles of my shoes, besides I can't bend down that Far !
 
Agreed. In the long run I think it would be better to check the soles of shoes for loose brass before going to your kids school to pick them up. That's gonna perk up some attention that doesn't need to happen.

But more entertaining to just discretely do a pocket dump of brass at the school.
 
all it took was a bunch of Karen's and a p*ssy MBTA bus driver to get this guy jammed up pretty good.

Still cost him a sh*tload in legal fees.
It's almost as if this fashion statement was a stupid game or something.

Triple-dup:
  1. Legality of dummy rounds in MA?
  2. What to do to shell casing to let non-LTC friend take it home? (2x)
  3. Police thought they saw a gun during a traffic stop, but it was a flamethrower

Do felons that get caught with firearms in MA get 2 1/2 years, too?
Statistically, recidivists probably have extra EBT cards in their wallet.
Whether they're handed out during bail hearings...

more entertaining to just discretely do a pocket dump of brass at the school.
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Years ago when I took the gun safety class to get the gun permission slip and privilege to own and operate firearms in MA, I remember the instructor mentioning a little cautionary tale that iin MA before you have that holy grail LTC-A you're ever at a public range and rent guns and expend ammo, before you leave, to always check to see if any shell casings fall into one of your pockets or hoodie. Legally, if you ever get jammed up and stopped and searched by a cop and he finds a 22LR shell casing on you, if the cop wanted to be a dick about it, can put you in jail for a long time. I thought the instructor was trolling till I looked it up. Just today when I brought my buddy (who's a guest and unlicensed) to my range I told the guy to wash hands and do a shakedown check and lo and behold there was a single 22LR that landed in his hoodie. Always tell your gun newbie buddies to check for casings if they weren't blessed by their local police chiefs yet. Would most cops jam you up for a 22LR shell casing? Most likely no. Do dick cops exist and there is even a minute chance you might be unlucky enough to encounter one? Yes.

From MGL - a 22LR shell casing is "ammo". General Law - Part IV, Title I, Chapter 269, Section 10

[For purposes of this section, ''ammunition'' shall mean cartridges or cartridge cases, primers (igniter), bullets or propellant powder designed for use in any firearm, rifle or shotgun.]

[shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years, or for not less than 18 months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.]

Ouch.
You are 100% correct that the law exists, but even in the most liberal of courts in Mass, if that was the sole charge against the defendant, the judge would be pissed.
That is the type of charged that gets lumped in with a long list of other charges, when people commit more serious crimes.
Could it happen? Yeah, I suppose. And it is a good idea to check for brass after a range trip.

One time after a range trip, my son walked through the kitchen and I heard "click, click" with every step he took. And since I knew he wasn't into tap dancing and wearing tap shoes, I checked the bottom of his Tims. Sure as shit, he had two spent 22 casings stuck in the treads of his boots.
I think he was in 8th grade. It would have sucked if they came loose in English class.
 
Years ago when I took the gun safety class to get the gun permission slip and privilege to own and operate firearms in MA, I remember the instructor mentioning a little cautionary tale that iin MA before you have that holy grail LTC-A you're ever at a public range and rent guns and expend ammo, before you leave, to always check to see if any shell casings fall into one of your pockets or hoodie. Legally, if you ever get jammed up and stopped and searched by a cop and he finds a 22LR shell casing on you, if the cop wanted to be a dick about it, can put you in jail for a long time. I thought the instructor was trolling till I looked it up. Just today when I brought my buddy (who's a guest and unlicensed) to my range I told the guy to wash hands and do a shakedown check and lo and behold there was a single 22LR that landed in his hoodie. Always tell your gun newbie buddies to check for casings if they weren't blessed by their local police chiefs yet. Would most cops jam you up for a 22LR shell casing? Most likely no. Do dick cops exist and there is even a minute chance you might be unlucky enough to encounter one? Yes.

From MGL - a 22LR shell casing is "ammo". General Law - Part IV, Title I, Chapter 269, Section 10

[For purposes of this section, ''ammunition'' shall mean cartridges or cartridge cases, primers (igniter), bullets or propellant powder designed for use in any firearm, rifle or shotgun.]

[shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years, or for not less than 18 months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.]

Ouch.
Funny you mention that. Last weekend we went target shooting and was using my Carhart jacket as a bench rest. Today when I put it back on there was a spent .22 in the pocket.
 
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