Man with gun under pillow forfeits license

[News Shooter]

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddl...e=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Tue Nov 25, 2008 11:36am EST

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man who slept with a loaded revolver under his pillow has lost his gun license after a court ruled it to be irresponsible behavior.

The 56-year-old was stripped of his license for failing to store the weapon properly, Braunschweig administrative court judge Torsten Baumgarten told Reuters Tuesday. The gun was only discovered by chance during a police inspection.

"His home was being checked because he had threatened to throw a hand grenade if the city council approved plans to build a high-voltage power line in his neighborhood," Baumgarten said. "The decision to take his license was made independently."

Baumgarten said the ruling, which sets a legal precedent in Germany, in effect outlaws sleeping on top of a firearm -- because the owner of the gun is not in control of the weapon and is therefore putting himself and others at risk.

"Anyone could come along and take the gun away from him, his wife for example," Baumgarten said. The man, who also owned several other weapons, said he kept the gun under his pillow because he feared burglars.

(Reporting by Josie Cox; Editing by Charles Dick)

 

[tele_mark]

Wow -- think about it -- the former seat of Nazi power just adopted a Massachusetts firearm law philosophy.

 

[dixidawg]

Berlin Germany, or Berlin Mass?

 

[appraiser]

what's the difference?

Besides the beer is better in one place than the other

 

[Mikey]

In all fairness if the below statement is true the guy is a moron.

"His home was being checked because he had threatened to throw a hand grenade if the city council approved plans to build a high-voltage power line in his neighborhood,"

 

[The Village Idiot]

Berlin Germany, or Berlin Mass?

Sure as hell isn't Berlin, NH!

 

[The Goose]

Oh no, God forbid the wife takes it away. LOL!

 

[Neptune Cat]

His home was being checked because he had threatened to throw a hand grenade

This could be grounds for a no knock warrent here.

 

[Mike-Mike]

I thought that's what pillows were for.

 

[FunYun]

Wow -- think about it -- the former seat of Nazi power just adopted a Massachusetts firearm law philosophy.

Why is that strange?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Weapons_Law

Germany is no stranger to gun laws. The ability to own or carry firearms is based on 'trustworthiness', which probably gets tossed around like 'suitability' does here.

 

[doobie]

Sure as hell isn't Berlin, NH!

Berlin, NH they would probably welcome the grenade to help break up the granite.

 

[JRyan]

Why is that strange?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Weapons_Law

Germany is no stranger to gun laws. The ability to own or carry firearms is based on 'trustworthiness', which probably gets tossed around like 'suitability' does here.

I think you missed the tone of his post.

 

[RKG]

Wow -- think about it -- the former seat of Nazi power just adopted a Massachusetts firearm law philosophy.

Actually, Germany adopted a pretty broad firearms ban and confiscation back when a U.S. citizen could legally own a BAR.

 

[mikem317]

Oh no, God forbid the wife takes it away. LOL!

I caught that too. You know those wives won't be responsible with firearms.

Could he be any more sexist?

 

[Zappa]

Wow -- think about it -- the former seat of Nazi power just adopted a Massachusetts firearm law philosophy.

I'm not surprised, whenever the Germans need another bad idea, they always look to Mass first. Remember the Nazi uniforms of WW2? Except for the color, they were EXACT copies of the Mass State Police Uniforms.

 

[Pomeraniac]

In all fairness if the below statement is true the guy is a moron.

"His home was being checked because he had threatened to throw a hand grenade if the city council approved plans to build a high-voltage power line in his neighborhood,"

NOTE TO SELF: Don't forget to not threaten to throw a hand grenade if the city council approves plans to build a high-voltage power line in my neighborhood.

 

[calsdad]

Actually, Germany adopted a pretty broad firearms ban and confiscation back when a U.S. citizen could legally own a BAR.

The 1968 US Gun Control Act (GCA68) - is said to be based almost directly on gun laws enacted by the Nazi's in Germany. www.jpfo.com has some literature available on their website about this.

There were gun laws enacted in Germany after WW1 because of the massive political chaos going on in the country - it was an attempt to reign in the Commies, and the Nazis - and all the other gangs that were causing a lot of violence. When the Nazi's gained power they expanded on those laws and used them to take firearms out of the hands of Jews - which of course made the subsequent roundups just that much easier.

If you want to come up with reasons to argue against gun control - you have to know your history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_for_the_Preservation_of_Firearms_Ownership




I think you are giving MA far too much credit as being an inspiration for the Nazis - if anything it is the other way around, or just a coincidence that people who desire to run everybody's lives tend to think along similar lines.

 

[biff44]

This is not all that far fetched. That is what sparked me to talk my 80 y.o. dad into transfering his guns over to me. My mom was worried because he was sleeping with his loaded and chambered .45 pistol under his pillow! Over the next few years he got more and more paranoid, and eventually went into full blown alzheimer's. Rest his soul, he was a true gun supporter, but I agree...unless you are living in a ghetto I think under the pillow is a little too close for comfort!

 

[Rob]

I wonder if he actually had a grenade.

 

[Jose]

unless you are living in a ghetto I think under the pillow is a little too close for comfort!

I don't live in the ghetto. And I sleep with a pistol out of sight but within hand's reach.

Oh, I also live in a place where I couldn't give a rat's ass about my CoP's opinion regarding my "suitability" to own or carry guns.