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Vietnam War hero sentenced to 7 years for decades-old rifle purchase: report

TU Curmudgeon

TU Curmudgeon

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From FOX News

Vietnam War hero sentenced to 7 years for decades-old rifle purchase: report
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A decorated Vietnam veteran and firearms collector was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Wednesday for a decades-old purchase of a rifle.

Alfred Pick, 70, purchased the M14 -- a fully automatic weapon illegal to own -- at a Ft. Worth gun show in the early 1980s, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The rifle, which had a scratched-off serial number, was similar to the one Pick used as an Army lieutenant in Vietnam, where he earned a Silver Star after participating in more than 100 combat missions and his brief time as a POW.

"The man is a Silver Star winner, he saved lives, he took care of his wife, he’s been in custody for a year, I would think that when a man turned 70 and is an American hero you don't destroy the rest of his life for one mistake," Mark Shackelford, a friend, told KDFW-TV.

COMMENT:-

I guess that "sentenced to 7 years for decades-old rifle purchase" IS one way of saying "sentenced to 7 years for the possession of an unregistered machine gun that he knew, or ought reasonably to have known, was illegal for him to possess". After all, machine guns ARE rifled.

PS - The statute of limitations on the "purchase" has long since elapsed. The "possession" was current.

PPS - The attempt to obliterate the gun's serial number really ought to have alerted him to the possibility that the gun had been stolen at some point in time.

PPPS - As of February 20, 2013 the position of the President of the NRA was that "fully automatic weapons" should be illegal so don't expect a huge "Second Amendment Rights" howl from the NRA.
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Although I agree with your comments, and the article is sensationalist BS trying to downplay the crime (not surprisng from Fox news), 7 years is ridiculous.

from another source https://www.dallasnews.com/news/gun...-sentenced-7-years-decades-old-rifle-purchase

Pick pleaded guilty to the charge in April in a deal with federal prosecutors.

"It was probably the piece de resistance of his collection," Pick's friend, Mark Shackelford, told the news station. "He had shown it to me. I've never seen it taken out of the case."

Federal agents also found Pick to be in possession of cocaine and marijuana, according to his indictment.
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Unfortunately he didn't commit armed robbery with a stolen gun against anyone or he'd get a shorter sentence than what likely equates to a death sentence for this.
 
I would imagine that he accepted that plea deal for good reason. Being 'special' (in this case a veteran?) does not make someone above the law. Had he been some other (non-hero?) person caught in possession of illegal drugs and a an illegal machine gun then I doubt if it would have been considered newsworthy.
 
This is the kind of thing in which I would support a pardon. He has been in custody a year already. That is enough time for something like this IMO.
 
Alright on the surface this conviction looks terrible, but in my mind the removal of the serial number seems to make it grow in seriousness. He knew he was breaking the law. It might not be 7 years' worth, but he definitely knew he was breaking the law.

But man, just lost his wife of 40 years to cancer two weeks prior. Yish. I'd put him on suicide watch initially, until I knew he was O.K.
 
I have argued that if a person is actively serving, Regular Army, Reserve or National Gaurd, or an Honorably Discharged Veteran, they should have access to AR platform weapons to maintain proficiency. However, I have never felt a need for automatic weapons to be available. Fun, but no need.
 
Skeptic Bob said:
This is the kind of thing in which I would support a pardon. He has been in custody a year already. That is enough time for something like this IMO.
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That might be fair. Time served. But the scratched-off serial number is what bothers me the most. Unfortunately, the Silver Star hero is now a convicted felon, regardless of his sentence. Such a sad story ...
 
Yeah, that is a suspiciously long sentence. I suspect that this was a plea down from something far worse. Don't want to speculate, but the possession of cocaine leads me to think that there's more to this story than has been revealed. He might be getting off light if this was a plea deal.
 
I'm a libtard who supports certain restrictions on gun ownership, but even I think he should have gotten 90 days MAX and the gun confiscated, end of story. In fact, if they had bumped it down to confiscation and probation for a first offense, I would have been okay with that.
 
He definitely needed to be held to accountable and pay for his offense, but that is just a disgusting sentence.

One year in county jail is more than enough.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
I'm a libtard who supports certain restrictions on gun ownership, but even I think he should have gotten 90 days MAX and the gun confiscated, end of story. In fact, if they had bumped it down to confiscation and probation for a first offense, I would have been okay with that.
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Yes.

All things considered, he should have been gotten a week in jail to teach him a lesson, then house arrests and probation.
 
Chomsky said:
And coke possession? That adds a new wrinkle. I'd like to know how much coke he had (and pot too), and how it was packaged?
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If he lived down copperhead road that would make it even better.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
I'm a libtard who supports certain restrictions on gun ownership, but even I think he should have gotten 90 days MAX and the gun confiscated, end of story. In fact, if they had bumped it down to confiscation and probation for a first offense, I would have been okay with that.
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Even with the cocaine possession?
 
MovingPictures said:
He definitely needed to be held to accountable and pay for his offense, but that is just a disgusting sentence.

One year in county jail is more than enough.
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Guns and illegal drugs don't mix. If it was either of those alone, I would agree, but the two paired up together is much more vicious.
 
RAMOSS said:
Even with the cocaine possession?
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WGAF?

I know it's against the law, but it's a victimless offense. Lets not go overboard and pretend this is even in the ballpark of seven years.

FFS, the police officer that shot a young black teenager got 15 years - will be out in eight.
 
MovingPictures said:
Yes.

All things considered, he should have been gotten a week in jail to teach him a lesson, then house arrests and probation.
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Okay, a week in the pokey. I could live with that, and so could he. I kinda doubt he will make it out of a seven year sentence.
 
RAMOSS said:
Even with the cocaine possession?
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I must have MISSED the coke possession. Still, seven years? The guy isn't a hardened thug criminal, and his wife just died.
I still say six months tops.

I mean, did he have a couple of grams on him or twelve pounds?
See, if it's a couple of grams pffffttt, slap him on the wrists and make him go to treatment.
 
MovingPictures said:
WGAF?

I know it's against the law, but it's a victimless offense. Lets not go overboard and pretend this is even in the ballpark of seven years.

FFS, the police officer that shot a young black teenager got 15 years - will be out in eight.
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If you were talking about pot, I would agree, but not cocaine. It's not victimless. Of course my viewpoint might be influenced by knowing a teenage girl who died of an OD the first time she tried it.
 
RAMOSS said:
Guns and illegal drugs don't mix. If it was either of those alone, I would agree, but the two paired up together is much more vicious.
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Maybe so but does he have a criminal record as long as your arm or is he just a 70 year old veteran who made a dumbass move? Black, white or purple polka dotted, this is a nothing case. Take his guns, tell him his collecting days are over.
A week in the pokey and another 90 days for the blow, done and overwith.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
I'm a libtard who supports certain restrictions on gun ownership, but even I think he should have gotten 90 days MAX and the gun confiscated, end of story. In fact, if they had bumped it down to confiscation and probation for a first offense, I would have been okay with that.
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I think his being caught with cocaine is an important part of the story. Here's what I think happened. He pleaded down to 7 years for the gun because the mandatory minimum for drugs was a lot higher. So, he ended up getting something for the drugs, and that was put under the gun sentence.
 
RAMOSS said:
If you were talking about pot, I would agree, but not cocaine. It's not victimless. Of course my viewpoint might be influenced by knowing a teenage girl who died of an OD the first time she tried it.
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People shouldn't be thrown in jail because of what other people might do under the influence.

We are not our brothers keeper that deeply, and it totally goes against the concept of personal freedom and responsibility.
 
I'm sorry, but if he'd shot up a someone's house I could understand seven years.
He just had the damn thing sitting around in a case, he loved owning an M-14...it was the tool of his trade once upon a time.

I'm a goddam libtard, right? But I own a couple of guns, so I am NOT actually THAT LIBERAL about it.
Slap him on the wrist and make him give up his shootin' irons, maybe let him own ONE pistol after three years are up when he wants his rights restored.
This is an excessive sentence and he will die in prison for a BS charge.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
I'm sorry, but if he'd shot up a someone's house I could understand seven years.
He just had the damn thing sitting around in a case, he loved owning an M-14...it was the tool of his trade once upon a time.

I'm a goddam libtard, right? But I own a couple of guns, so I am NOT actually THAT LIBERAL about it.
Slap him on the wrist and make him give up his shootin' irons, maybe let him own ONE pistol after three years are up when he wants his rights restored.
This is an excessive sentence and he will die in prison for a BS charge.
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In this case the punishment didn't fight the crime.
 
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