Turkey hunting drama with police over shotgun.. advice

So police are now staking out legal turkey hunters?
What town?
Sounds a bit fishy to me...[thinking]

I don't think it's all that fishy. Seen it happen to people. Not to me yet. They never seem to bother me.

OP's buddy did exactly what my EPO buddy told me to do (as long as I knew I was legal). Tell the cop to call an EPO. (I think EPOs pride themselves on picking on town cop asshats).
 
Maybe I have a flair for the dramatic but I wouldn't have even let him touch my gun if he said he's going to take it away especially if I know I'm in the right. With all due respect officer, you aren't confiscating my gun you better check your facts again. I don't mean to be confrontational or insinuate that I want to start a gunfight in the middle of the road but at that point I don't know you from some other shmuck trying to steal my firearms. Call your boys and we can discuss this civilly, I've got all day.

And BTW, what's with the extension tube crap anyway? By that standard any damn gun could be considered high capacity. We put a damn robot on Mars I'm pretty sure we could figure out how to manipulate a gun to accept more than its intended amount of rounds.
This is why the cop said to get a pump. Under the cop's interpretation of the law, almost any semi-auto could be considered large capacity. Non semi-auto guns can't be large capacity.

Also: imagine what would happen if the CMR that more narrowly defines large capacity gets removed or changed to reflect the law itself? Most cops in the state could adopt this attitude
 
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As others have said, don't get all hero on the spot it won't end well.
Now he should call and request a meeting with the town's Chief, with the officer present.
Ask him to repeat what he said in front of the Chief including the threat to "Get you" next time even though the EPO confirmed he was in the right.
Myself and friends have had local dickweeds try and harass us while hunting in the past and always pursued it.
Your friend is probably not the only one this genius has hassled.
His boss can't take care of it if he doesn't know what the guy is doing.
 
What Joke ! Could add an extension tube. Is there one on there now...NO !! now **** off !
 
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Problem is that the black letter of the (dumb) law wrt large-capacity does indeed infer that anything with an external magazine can be deemed large-capacity. If you can extend a tube, in theory the way the law is written one could be charged/prosecuted. This is an argument that JasonS (seemingly MIA Mod) used to make every time I answered this question.

It was NOT the intent of the law to be this broad and the CMR makes the gun in question OK, but the law is a problem when read literally.

Not MIA, just very busy with my day job lately.

This is just another example of a very poorly written MA gun law. (Or maybe it was written that way on purpose.)

This is why the cop said to get a pump. Under the cop's interpretation of the law, almost any semi-auto could be considered large capacity. Non semi-auto guns can't be large capacity.

For what it's worth, with a similarly literal reading of the law non-semi auto guns can still have a large capacity feeding device.

The majority of cops will generally take the more mainstream and not so literal view but as the OP saw there are exceptions.
 
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Sounds like the kind of anal dickhead that would try and make an issue regarding pre-ban/post-ban status of magazines and/or rifle configuration

sans any other violations.
 
This didn't occur in a vacuum

Problem is that the black letter of the (dumb) law wrt large-capacity does indeed infer that anything with an external magazine can be deemed large-capacity. If you can extend a tube, in theory the way the law is written one could be charged/prosecuted. This is an argument that JasonS (seemingly MIA Mod) used to make every time I answered this question. ...

It's a cinch the cop didn't figure it out this interpretation by himself.
So, where did he get the bright idea?


  • A new slide in Academy training?
  • The latest edition of Glidden's book?
  • Lurking on NES?
  • ...?
 
It's a cinch the cop didn't figure it out this interpretation by himself.
So, where did he get the bright idea?


  • A new slide in Academy training?
  • The latest edition of Glidden's book?
  • Lurking on NES?
  • ...?

Given the "crazy things gunshop employees say" and "crazy things taught in NRA classes" there are plenty of places that a cop could have gotten the idea. Hell, some cops do read the laws and come to their own conclusions.
 
Given the "crazy things gunshop employees say" and "crazy things taught in NRA classes" there are plenty of places that a cop could have gotten the idea. Hell, some cops do read the laws and come to their own conclusions.

And they even talk to each other. Bad ideas held by stupid people breed worse ideas when they get together.
 
Problem is that the black letter of the (dumb) law wrt large-capacity does indeed infer that anything with an external magazine can be deemed large-capacity. If you can extend a tube, in theory the way the law is written one could be charged/prosecuted. This is an argument that JasonS (seemingly MIA Mod) used to make every time I answered this question.

It was NOT the intent of the law to be this broad and the CMR makes the gun in question OK, but the law is a problem when read literally.
Except that the EOPS high capacity is a great setup for an entrapment by estoppel defense.
 
For the love of Pete.....Show them the CMR!
If it isn't on the Large Capacity Weapons Roster and they don't have a large capacity feeding device...It isn't large capacity!!!!
See 501 CMR 7.02
And stop saying high capacity! The term doesn't exist in Ma law or statute.
 
For the love of Pete.....Show them the CMR!
If it isn't on the Large Capacity Weapons Roster and they don't have a large capacity feeding device...It isn't large capacity!!!!
See 501 CMR 7.02
And stop saying high capacity! The term doesn't exist in Ma law or statute.

Just out of curiosity, could you apply that same test to AR clones that are not specifically listed on the roster?
 
For the love of Pete.....Show them the CMR!
If it isn't on the Large Capacity Weapons Roster and they don't have a large capacity feeding device...It isn't large capacity!!!!
See 501 CMR 7.02
And stop saying high capacity! The term doesn't exist in Ma law or statute.

Half of the equation but what about the LCFD? That is that part that gets semi shotguns in trouble.

Also, when was the Large Capacity Roster last updated? There are tons of high cap firearms not on that tiny list.
 
If the OP will out the PD, I would be more than happy to do a courtesy call of sorts and mocking (professionally of course) of this guy
 
This would be pure AU

I ****ing absolutely tormented BPD Captain Hosein (google lol) in a professional manner of course , about his opinion and thoughts on Sunni Islam today, Officer Bennelli would just be icing on the cake.
 
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That officer is a richard. That said, the EOPS regulations are, quite simply, delusional.

MGL Chapter 140 Section 121 defines a "large capacity weapon" as:

''Large capacity weapon'', any firearm, rifle or shotgun: (i) that is semiautomatic with a fixed large capacity feeding device; (ii) that is semiautomatic and capable of accepting, or readily modifiable to accept, any detachable large capacity feeding device; ...

That Benelli shotgun is indeed 1) semiautomatic and 2) capable of accepting a detachable large capacity feeding device. EOPS arguments to the contrary just are not supported by the text of the law.
 
Time to set that cop up for a fall. This will take some folks with level heads and big balls. If has that and some will friends, He needs to go back to that area and do exactly a he did in this instance and have his friends video and audio record the whole thing. The shove it up that cop's ass.

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It wasn't about hunting it was an anti gun thug cop, who did not know the law abusing his authority. The OP needs to name the dept and the shitbag stupid cop.

+1 A friend of mine was accosted by anti hunting local PD while dragging out a deer after a successful bow hunt.

PD called the fish cops; who threatened to seize his deer and go to his house and seize all his guns.

After a while he finally was able to get the land owner on the phone who confirm he had hunting permission (didn't have a written copy on him). He was allowed to leave.
 
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Unfortunately, you have to keep a written letter or note from the landowner on you while hunting on private property. Not sure what the exact contents of the letter or note must contain, but you need to have something in case this happens.

+1 A friend of mine was accosted by anti hunting local PD while dragging out a deer after a successful bow hunt.

PD called the fish cops; who threatened to seize his deer and go to his house and seize all his guns.

After a while he finally was able to get the land owner on the phone who confirm he had hunting permission (didn't have a written copy on him). He was allowed to leave.
 
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