Sorry to be gone so long
I'm still in a state of shock. I am now on the Domestic Assault Registry, hit with a 5-month MGL209A restraining order. My firearms and all of my ammunition are in the custody of the Lebanon, NH PD. My 27-year competition shooting career is over. The RO was extended for a full year on 07Nov2005. No lawyer would have helped, for both judges were obviously anti-gun. The one yesterday told me to "get a new sport."
So now I am forced to fight tooth and nail to regain my collection of fine firearms, eight boxes of custom-reloaded ammunition, and my righteousness.
I have feelers out with several MA attorneys, including Jesse Cohen. I'll be calling him on 09Nov05.
It is totally unbelieveable that in these United States it is possible to have one's firearms confiscated without being convicted of even a misdemeanor crime.
Here is my statement of facts. It is long, but it has to be.
I am a 49-year-old white divorced USN veteran. I am healthy, gainfully-employed as a printer and a radio sports producer, and a born-again Christian. I also am an avid competition handgun and shotgun shooter since 1978.
My manic-depressive ex-wife stole my two kids in Sep84 from our home in CA and flew them cross-country to MA. The divorce was on 12Dec84, ending a seven-and-a half-year marriage. I have lived mostly alone ever since. No significant others ever. I was permitted occasional unsupervised visits with the two kids (son age 6 and daughter age 3 when taken) when I could fly out to MA. The last visit was 08Apr89, and there was never any problems during the visits. So I gave up a good career opportunity and many good friends in CA to move back east to be closer to my kids.
When I relocated to New England, I discovered that my kids suddenly did not want to see me any more. I respected their wishes.
Consequently, I didn't see my son until July 1993, when his psychotic mother disowned him. He came to live with me in NH, and he was nothing but trouble (lots of alcohol abuse, plus a neighborhood shooting spree with my Ruger 10-22 rifle) until I returned him to his mother in Sep96, two months short of his 18th birthday. On the occasion of this trip to MA, I talked with my daughter for a few seconds through a closed wooden door. That was the last time I talked to her, and I had not seen her since Apr89. It was the last time I saw or talked to my son.
My brother came out from CA for a visit in July 2003, and he somehow got my daughter to call him - using my cell phone. My cell phone saved her phone number, so I had a chance to talk to her for the first time in almost seven years. I called her, but it was always voice mail. So I left friendly voice mails occasionally until the number was changed in a few months. I never got a reply.
In May05, I did a name search for my daughter's name on the internet, and I was taken to a trade convention site, which told me her internet nickname. I did a search with this nickname, and was taken to a forum where there was an e-mail address with the nickname. I promptly e-mailed her with a friendly, non-judgemental, non-threatening message. I sent her a similar e-mail a few days later. There was no response from her, only from her still-psychotic mother. This sick e-mail accused me of murdering our son, being a serial rapist, adulterer, and communist spy.
On 02Jun05, I got a handwritten summons, via regular US Mail, to appear at a district court in MA on 07Jun05 to answer an MGL209A restraining order request. I went to the hearing, not knowing even who the plaintiff was. There in court was my daughter, whom I had not seen in over SIXTEEN YEARS, and she was the plaintiff. She stood before the judge and tearfully accused me of sexually abusing her when she was two years old. She also accused me of pulling a .45 Auto on my son back in 1984 to keep him from dialing 911 while I was supposedly beating up his mother. My daughter admitted to the judge that she had not seen me in over 16 years, but she also said that she had a phonecon with me in Summer 2003, asking me to not contact her ever again. She tearfully claimed that she was very afraid of me.
I stand before my God and Savior and swear that I have never:
1. Beaten up my ex-wife ever.
2. Sexually abused my daughter.
3. Committed adultery.
4. Committed rape, serial or singularly.
5. Pointed a loaded gun at anyone ever, much less my son.
6. Indulged in espionage.
I'll freely admit that I was a failure as a husband and a father. I'll freely admit that I was a selfish, oafish fool in my marriage.
BUT . . .
I have never been a threat to ANYONE EVER, and I have lived a peaceful life of service to the Lord Jesus Christ since August 1993. I have a spotless record of noble, sacrificial service to the children and teen ministries at my church for 12 years. I had with me at the 07Jun05 MGL209A hearing four reference letters from long-time friends who attested to my character and trustworthyness, especially with children. I had two witnesses there with me, a retired lady and my pastor. The judge did not care to see the letters or hear from my witnesses. All that mattered to him was that my daughter was in tears, and that I had a NH CCW and firearms.
The judge issued a five-month restraining order, a civil matter unless violated. This RO did two things: It showed me my daughters precise residence address (which was unknown to me) and it ordered me to turn in all of my firearms and ammunition to my local NH police department. Not wanting to be a violater, I complied on the same day. My six handguns, two rimfire rifles, one shotgun, and eight ammo boxes of ammunition are now in police storage.
On 07Nov05, the RO was due to expire, unless requested by the plaintiff. I had fully obeyed the original RO, and I expected to have it expire. Well, before a DIFFERENT JUDGE, the same accusations were lodged against me by my tearful daughter, and my son joined in claiming that I had converted snapshot photos of my daughter into pornography back in 1996. This is total bravo sierra.
The judge was not so inclined to renew the RO, but he did anyway, telling me to "find a new sport." This new RO is in effect for a full year, so I will miss a second full shooting season, and an extra 12 months of no CCW. THIS IS BACK-DOOR GUN CONTROL, courtesy of Bill Klinton, who started the INTERSTATE confiscating of firearms for RO's.
Now the MGL209A law specifies that there must be an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm to justify a restraining order. Does a tearful 23-year woman qualify in the least? She admitted that she had not seen me in 16 years!
So I am going to appeal this travesty. I WILL NOT allow my Second Amendment rights to be tramped on for another 12 months.
And from now on, my vote goes to a solid pro-gun rights candidate, or no one at all.
A lawyer would have been USELESS at the two hearings (07Jun and 07Nov05), but I'll have one now as I start climbing this mountain back to righteousness.
) phone interview first thing Monday morning.
