Local, national and world news stories of interest.
 #107595  by Dugan
 
http://6abc.com/news/nj-actor-charged-f ... t/1259221/
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- An actor who played a bit part in an independent gangster film is facing 10 years in state prison because he used a prop pellet gun without a state gun permit.

Carlo Goias, whose stage name is Carlo Bellario, was charged under New Jersey's strict gun law. It requires permits for firearms, including the airsoft gun Goias used while filming a car chase scene.

Goias rejected a plea deal offer Tuesday that could have sent him to jail for less than a year. He faces up to a decade behind bars because of prior felony convictions that prosecutors say include theft and burglary.

"I was shooting a movie - I wasn't committing a crime intentionally," Goias recently told The Associated Press. "Robert De Niro doesn't ask Marty Scorsese if he has gun permits. We're actors. That's for the production company to worry about."

Some state lawmakers say the case highlights the need for New Jersey to change its gun laws.

The permit law recently led to the arrest of a Pennsylvania corrections officer who lacked a New Jersey permit for a gun that was legal in his home state. The charges were later dropped.

Airsoft guns fire nonlethal plastic pellets. Nearly half of the states and many cities regulate the weapons to some degree, according to the San Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

New Jersey defines all non-powder guns as firearms, which require a permit to carry them. State lawmakers are pushing legislation that would give prosecutor's more discretion in filing charges under the statute.....
A little ridiculous huh?
 #107598  by Kuntryboy816
 
:poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed:

That is more than a LITTLE ridiculous!!!! Aren't the prisoners, I mean citizens, of NJ tired of this bullcrap!!! I don't see how they have put up with this crap as long as they have.... :banghead:
 #107604  by Kuntryboy816
 
Dugan wrote:
Kuntryboy816 wrote::poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed:

That is more than a LITTLE ridiculous!!!! Aren't the prisoners, I mean citizens, of NJ tired of this bullcrap!!! I don't see how they have put up with this crap as long as they have.... :banghead:
The ones that care move out...

:troll:
:applause: ....and then you get charged an escape fee (toll) to get out!! :lol:
 #107606  by Dugan
 
Kuntryboy816 wrote:
Dugan wrote:
Kuntryboy816 wrote::poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed: :poed:

That is more than a LITTLE ridiculous!!!! Aren't the prisoners, I mean citizens, of NJ tired of this bullcrap!!! I don't see how they have put up with this crap as long as they have.... :banghead:
The ones that care move out...

:troll:
:applause: ....and then you get charged an escape fee (toll) to get out!! :lol:
If you own a house in NJ you get a TAX for leaving the state when you sell your house too.
 #107622  by NormH3
 
Probably won't make any friends with my comments, but if that was the law they should have filmed in a different state. Ignorance of any law is not a defense. Yes, the law is ridiculous but trying to change it after you've been arrested usually doesn't work very well.
 #107624  by Kuntryboy816
 
NormH3 wrote:Probably won't make any friends with my comments, but if that was the law they should have filmed in a different state. Ignorance of any law is not a defense. Yes, the law is ridiculous but trying to change it after you've been arrested usually doesn't work very well.
You make valid points.. ignorance is no excuse and yeah, change after the arrest.. good luck! The guy makes somewhat of a point when he states that it's the production staff's responsibility to ensure all of their permits and affairs are in order. I don't think that will make any difference to the judge in his individual case but it might lend some weight to a personal suit against the production company. This will be interesting to follow as he was already a previously convicted felon, therefore unable to have "firearms" in the first place. Question is, how high in the justice system will he have to go to prove that it's not a "firearm" regardless of what PRNJ wants to call it!
 #107626  by NormH3
 
Kuntryboy816 wrote:
NormH3 wrote:Probably won't make any friends with my comments, but if that was the law they should have filmed in a different state. Ignorance of any law is not a defense. Yes, the law is ridiculous but trying to change it after you've been arrested usually doesn't work very well.
You make valid points.. ignorance is no excuse and yeah, change after the arrest.. good luck! The guy makes somewhat of a point when he states that it's the production staff's responsibility to ensure all of their permits and affairs are in order. I don't think that will make any difference to the judge in his individual case but it might lend some weight to a personal suit against the production company. This will be interesting to follow as he was already a previously convicted felon, therefore unable to have "firearms" in the first place. Question is, how high in the justice system will he have to go to prove that it's not a "firearm" regardless of what PRNJ wants to call it!
Totally agree. Maybe next time they'll film in Delaware. :)