Man gets 2 years in gun case

[SecularMotion]

RIVERSIDE — An ex-Marine from Hemet who smuggled a machine gun into the country from Iraq, where he served in combat, was handed a two-year federal prison sentence Thursday.

Joel Cleve Miller, 40, was convicted in June of illegally possessing an automatic weapon — an AK-47 that he told friends had once been used by Saddam Hussein’s royal guard.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office had sought a minimum five-year sentence for the former staff sergeant, but U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips imposed the lesser term based on his lack of criminal history.

-- snip --

“The most important thing is the deterrent effect,” Merrill said. “These are very dangerous weapons. No matter why or how you possess them, having them puts the community at risk.”

http://www.mydesert.com/viewart/20121025/NEWS0802/310250049/Man-gets-2-years-gun-case

[gejohnston]

1. smuggling war trophies isn't new

During the first Gulf War, I was detailed to run an X ray machine for a couple of weeks. We busted an Army officer trying to smuggle a Tokarev pistol in a hollowed out book. He even thought of making a foil book jacket to block the x-ray. It doesn't work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TT_pistol

[Trunk Monkey]

4. A PLT SGT. I knew

Told me he found an M9 laying on the ground dissambled it and brought it back in the fuel tank of a HEMMIT.

I have no idea if he actually did or not but he wasn't caught if he did

[glacierbay]

13. A friend of mine I served with in Vietnam

shipped an AK-47 home piece by piece, of course things were much different back then, hard to get away with now.

[ileus]

8. You didn't x-ray file cabinets from supply did you?

[rrneck]

2. Thats a long time to spend

in a place that small. I hope the case was at least made to hold a Barrett.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

3. Dammit!

You beat me to it again! I hope that case has a hole for the ostomy bag and catheter.

I sure hope he's a little feller.

[PavePusher]

5. "No matter why or how you possess them, having them puts the community at risk."

Blatently untrue, and the judge is an effing idiot for saying it.

The Marine is an idot to, for getting caught breaking a stupid effing law. Keep your damn mouth shut, very simple.

[holdencaufield]

6. What a shame he didn't do the paperwork ...

... to legally import the weapon.

Essentially, they sent a man who served his country to prison for not filling out the correct forms.

Prisoner of conscience?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. +1

[ileus]

7. That's why there needs to be a "take-home" rule for our military heros.

They should be allowed import (1) full auto and (5) semi's to bring home. This could really add to the #'s of legal Class III firearms and give everyone an opportunity at an affordable automatic rifle.



Maybe we could allow (2) auto's.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

10. works for me. One for every day of the week.

[ileus]

12. So it is....7 guns total any combination of full and semi.

[Jenoch]

11. The guns he smuggled back home

certainly were desirable weapons but I don't think they were worth ruining his life over. A dishonorable discharge is about the worst possible punishment for a person. Not only does this guy have to go to federal prison for two years, he loses all of his veteran's benefits and every employment application I've ever seen asks about military discharge. And it was his ex-wife who turned him in.

[Francis Marion]

14. Even it it's a roomy Pelican,

two years in a gun case is definitly cruel and unusual punishment, not to mention the guy's going to need to breathe.

Seriously- the correct response should be no response.

An AK-47 is exactly the type of arm, per Amendment II,which We the People should keep and bear.

That's probably what this weapon was doing 'back home' in Iraq.

And here a Marine snuck it back, and has a legal problem.

The Bill of Rights says one thing. The Institutions don't have to respect it.

And we tolerate and normalize the negation of Amendment II.