Minister held in Jamaican jail...

[shootniron]

after ammo was found in his luggage.

Something to think about as we approach vacation time.

http://www.ajc.com/news/athens-man-may-face-950063.html

 

[m17s_guy]

I saw this on the local news last night as well as reading above link. A lot of people are trying to get the US govt. to step in and get Jamaica to let this guy free. I say let him sit! Now I agree with the fact that having 1 22lr round in your luggage should not be that much cause for concern. But the law is the the law. And he should have done a closer inspection of his baggage before packing his things into it and going off to one of the most secure places civilians go on the planet. The claim that someone must have slipped it in his bag..... Well one of the first things they ask you when flying is did you pack your bags yourself, and have they been with you since they were packed. To fly you MUST answer yes to both of those questions.

It really got me fired up when the reporters kept saying he was found with "1 bullet"..... Technically it is NOT illegal to fly with bullets, only the powder that is used to accelerate them, OR if they are assembled into what informed persons call ammunition

 

[Crazy88Fingers]

It seems like the ticket for ammo possession would be fair; he definitely broke that law. But terror charges are... well, the phrase "cruel and unusual" comes to mind.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Another Accidental Felon,,,

Does no one on this planet believe in accidents anymore?

Sometimes poo happens and a reasonable person will let it slide with a warning.

We as a people are getting way too into punishment for punishment's sake.

Add Jamaica to the list of places that will never see a dime of my tourism money.

Aarond

 

[spacecoast]

Add Jamaica to the list of places that will never see a dime of my tourism money

Reggae "music" or dreadlocks alone justifies that kind of response IMHO. I hope they let that guy go, that's just beyond ridiculous. Maybe we should send Steven Seagal in after him. He's been pretty tough on the Jamaicans.

 

[Tuzo]

Happened to me in Las Vegas

Inadvertently had a 9mm round in my carry on while flying out of Las Vegas.
A screener noticed something unusual in the scanner and after about 10 minutes of conferring with a few more screeners and searching my luggage: they discovered a 9mm round. "So that's where it went." I said because one round was missing after checking my wife's pistol before leaving home. Police officer filled out one sheet of a reporting form, I signed it, asked for return of the round but was denied, officer said "so long," and I was on my way. It seemed pretty routine except for the glee expressed by the screeners for having found something.

By contrast, Jamaican screeners and police are over reacting to a minor mishap. A single .22 round does not make a terrorist nor pose a great threat unless authorities decide to make it so. I sympathize with the fellow that was thrown in jail on charges of terrorism and wish him well. Most of all I wish common sense would prevail with the authorities that try to keep our travels safe from terror. Please see the little 5? year old girl that was thoroughly frisked in New Orleans last month.

 

[Onward Allusion]

m17s_guy
<SNIP>I say let him sit! <SNIP> But the law is the the law.

For something serious, sure... For 1 cartridge, it's the law run-a-muck. Hope it never happens to you.

 

[markj]

Gee, didnt we have a thread on england and a 22 laying on teh ground

Get off the cruise ship in jaimaca some will come up and ask you if you want to buy weed..... go up the mountain and see the sights, a shop has weed for sale in the case..... Go back on ship to come home, long line drug dogs armed police......

I vacation in America, after I have seen everything I may go somewhere else but I must say Yellowstone changes every time I see the place soooooo and open carry too

 

[shootniron]

Another Accidental Felon,,,
Does no one on this planet believe in accidents anymore?

Sometimes poo happens and a reasonable person will let it slide with a warning.

We as a people are getting way too into punishment for punishment's sake.

Add Jamaica to the list of places that will never see a dime of my tourism money.

Aarond

I certainly agree with you.

I preach to my teenage son every day that he really has to be vigilante about protecting himself from becoming a victim of something like this or getting embroiled in some situation that leaves him with a criminal record for just being along with others when something is done. When I came along, there WAS common sense in law enforcement and better judgement dictated that a second chance or the benefit of the doubt meant that justice was well served. This is just me, but I really do not see how society gains when young people or just every day folks are given jail time and a felony on their record for what amounts to nothing in many cases. The felony dooms people to a life of struggle to survive and I think it should only be given to those that have demonstrated that they will not show regard for the law after being given the opportunity to do so.

 

[Don H]

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -
His wife, Erin, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Carter was freed after a Thursday hearing and the couple expects to return to their Athens home Friday.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=235&sid=15614813

 

[oneounceload]

Jamaica is NOT the US and in the recent past they had MAJOR issues with the US and the extradition of a drug lord that had police on every corner with automatic weapons. Jamaica is not one of the most secure places in the world, and they take weapons seriously

 

[Standing Wolf]

Add Jamaica to the list of places that will never see a dime of my tourism money.

Amen! I don't do business with people, businesses, or places that don't respect fundamental human rights. Will my few dollars spent elsewhere make much of a difference? No, but I can at least face the man in the mirror.

 

[oneounceload]

I don't do business with people, businesses, or places that don't respect fundamental human rights.

Oh, PULEEZ....just what fundamental right did they violate? They have certain laws on their books, he violated them - whether intentionally or not is irrelevant. No different here - we supposedly have the right to free speech, yet start talking about doing harm to an elected official and see where that gets you.......just like the 7th grader who underwent a Secret Service interrogation at his school because of a facebook post

Don't kid yourself.

I just got back from a cruise to Jamaica, and I plan on going back for a longer time, a nice place with friendly people and great food and climate. To be so closed minded as you is really over the top

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

If you don't do business with countries that don't respect human rights - look at where oil and gas and computers and WalMart stuff, etc. come from.

BTW, one round of ammo can get you in trouble in the USA. Pick the place and circumstance.

 

[m17s_guy]

For something serious, sure... For 1 cartridge, it's the law run-a-muck. Hope it never happens to you

One round on a plane IS a serious matter. how hard would it be to have the ability to set that ONE round off into some vital part of the plane after it is at cruising altitude and kill 200+ people?

And as for your hope that it never happens to me,Ii would put my paycheck on the fact it never will. I completely "sanitize" my luggage before packing, even for a road trip. Truthfully, my range bag is something that only travels to the range with me, it stays packed with the same items year round, (I add some patches now and then) and never goes on a road trip, or to an airport. Last summer before picking up my stepchildren from the airport, I even "sanitized" my vehicle and found a pocket knife my oldest was hiding from me that was supposed to be a birthday present.

The fact of the matter is, when you choose to fly, you have to be responsible to make sure that your luggage, whether it is a carry on like the gentleman had, or your checked baggage is free from contraband such as ammunition, knives, bombs, and that it stays in your possession from the time it is packed until the time it rolls down the conveyor to get on the plane.

I would venture to say that on the right day, with the right flight, the same man would be sitting in a U.S. holding cell somewhere for the same reason. I still say let him sit, even if they drop charges it will teach him some much needed responsibility.

We don't have to like the laws of another country, but we do have to follow them. Just like the state to state laws on transporting or carrying open or concealed weapons.

 

[TailGator]

just what fundamental right did they violate?

The protection against cruel and unusual punishment is a right recognized and protected by the U. S. Constitution. Yes, I know that Jamaica is not part of the US, but is that not human right guaranteed by the constitution as opposed to being a privilege that depends upon geographic location? And is not a jail term disproportionate to the offense cruel and unusual? A terrorism charge and a sentence of several years for inadequately cleaning out one's suitcase?

One round on a plane IS a serious matter. how hard would it be to have the ability to set that ONE round off into some vital part of the plane after it is at cruising altitude and kill 200+ people?

I think it would be very difficult without a firearm from which to fire it, and such was absent in this instance.

 

[GLK]

What is sad is that I can go to Kingston and inside of an hour have a fully automatic weapon and a kilo of cocaine if I have enough dollars American in my pocket. In my opinion Jamaica is a cess pool and should be avoided at all cost if possible.

 

[Mello2u]

oneounceload

Quote:
I don't do business with people, businesses, or places that don't respect fundamental human rights.
Oh, PULEEZ....just what fundamental right did they violate? They have certain laws on their books, he violated them - whether intentionally or not is irrelevant. No different here - we supposedly have the right to free speech, yet start talking about doing harm to an elected official and see where that gets you.......just like the 7th grader who underwent a Secret Service interrogation at his school because of a facebook post

Consider that not too long ago all laws in the United States of America which had a penalty that could take away your life, liberty or property had the requirement that you be arrested, given due process and part of that was the requirement that the prosecution prove INTENT before the government could take away your life, liberty or property. That has changed. I wish that it had not. Intent or mens rea should never be irrelevant when a government is seeking to take your life, liberty, or property.

What fundamental right did they violate? The right to self-defense.

All free people should be able to bear firearms, that includes non-citizens. If they are too dangerous to bear arms they should be locked up or deported after due process.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

What fundamental right did they violate? The right to self-defense.

No, they did not. The law broken did not say the guy could not defend himself from attack. He does have the right to self defense. He may not have the right to possession of guns and ammo on an airplane, but then again, neither do Americans.

I am still at a loss how his arrest for contraband that he was trying to take on an airplane constitutes a violation of the right to self defense.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Simmer down now folks

1:] When you travel to a foreign country, you play by their rules. Don't like it, don't go.

2:] Don't use your travel bags as range bags. I have my travel bags and my range bags, but I don't mix 'em. It's a sad commentary about life today, but still prudent.


I had a similar thing happen to me, years ago. I traveled to Soviet Russia, and discovered I had about 20 rounds of .22lr in a jacket pocket that I had completely forgotten about. Somewhere outside of Stalin's summer cottage, there are 20 American .22lr cartridges scattered through the woods. I wonder what the Rooskies made of that, if they ever found them?