Do You Know Who I Am? goes a long way in Mass...
As the Herald previously reported, Mason was called to court to determine if he improperly stored his guns after reportedly being found asleep in his car after a night out in Hyannis — his guns were in the vehicle.
...
... two plainclothes police officers in an unmarked cruiser came upon a black Jeep Wrangler outside a Hyannis business a little after midnight on Feb. 28 while doing a patrol. ... They allegedly observed firearms in the passenger-side front seat and found a total of five unloaded ...
Oooh, baby! No alcohol/gun-law violation.
... firearms in the vehicle ...
Were they under his control?
Did they search the trunk? If so, did he consent to the search?
Here's the defense attorney:
Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyer - Cape Cod - Barnstable County Defense Attorney - Massachusetts OUI Lawyer
While he was a DA in Suffolk County, he worked as Chief District Court Prosecutor
in (among other things) the Gun Unit.
But that doesn't make him a Gun Lawyer.
OMG, look at Ch. 140 §131C: Carrying of firearms in a vehicle
(a) No person carrying a loaded firearm under a license issued pursuant to section 131 or 131F shall carry the loaded firearm in a vehicle unless the loaded firearm while carried in the vehicle is under the direct control of the person. Whoever violates this subsection shall be punished by a fine of $500.
(b) No person possessing a large capacity rifle or shotgun under a license issued pursuant to section 131 or 131F shall possess the large capacity rifle or shotgun in a vehicle unless the large capacity rifle or shotgun is unloaded and contained within the locked trunk of the vehicle or in a locked case or other secure container. Whoever violates this subsection shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000.
Five guns. How many handguns, how many LC longarms, how many small-cap longarms?
Strewing unloaded handguns and small-cap longarms around the passenger compartment,
glove compartment, or unlocked trunk of an occupied vehicle is probably legal. I at least would
expect our good gun lawyers to be able to try and make the case.
... and an assortment of ammunition in two backpacks.
WGAF?
Imagine finding the son of police brass stinking drunk, with guns all over his car.
Were the arresting cops sharp enough to not try for a field sobriety test,
not take lab alcohol tests, and claim the guns were all unloaded
because they knew the remaining evidence lacked at least one element
for every possible DUI and gun charge?
Maybe they're giving the drunk kid a ride he can't beat,
to satisfy public scrutiny, while secure in the knowledge that
he won't get convicted on anything.
That leaves "suitability". Well, how much pull does the father have?