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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJudge orders "radicalized" former police officer to stay in jail until Capitol riot trial
Source: Axios
Rebecca Falconer
Wed, July 28, 2021, 10:06 PM·1 min read
A former Virginia police officer arrested for allegedly participating in the U.S. Capitol riot must remain in custody until his trial over evidence that he has illegally stockpiled weapons, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
Driving the news: U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper, in D.C., said in an order that Thomas Robertson was "further radicalized" after he was charged with breaching the Capitol building noting that agents found a rifle, pipe-bomb making equipment at his home and evidence that he had purchased 37 guns online since his arrest.
The 47-year-old, who was fired from the Rocky Mount Police after he was charged, was initially released in January.
He was rearrested this month for violated a judge's order not to possess firearms while on pretrial release and also for breaking a federal law that prevents people under felony indictment from shipping firearms.
What they're saying: "The undisputed facts demonstrate a concrete risk that Robertson might participate in or provide material support to acts of ideologically motivated violence if released at this time," Judge Cooper wrote.
-snip-
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/judge-orders-radicalized-former-police-020654640.html
Bernardo de La Paz
(48,947 posts)Everyone charged with violence in the Insurrection should have to surrender their weapons unless/until it is resolved in their favour. If they are found guilty, the violence is a felony and they will have to surrender them anyway.
oldsoftie
(12,486 posts)Hope its a long one
bottomofthehill
(8,317 posts)Hope he learns to enjoy life on the inside. He should stay there a long time.
Ligyron
(7,615 posts)I think he was trying to outfit an army.
GB_RN
(2,322 posts)A handgun for self defense (and target practice fun), a rifle and shotgun (or two of different gauges) for hunting different things, for example. I grew up around having a few guns like this, as my grandfather liked to go hunting on the weekends, was a member of a gun club and the NRA (keep in mind, this was in the 1970s-80s, when it was a gun safety organization, and not the front for the gun lobby and the terrorist organization it is now). Personally, I don't own any.
But you're right, this guy had what, 37? That's into dealer territory (yeah, you could also say collector, but I don't see this guy as a legit collector)...or has designs on something more nefarious. More than a few for said sporting purposes and you should have to have a dealer's license, IMO.
Ligyron
(7,615 posts)Because youre right, a person could realistically carry a rifle and a pistol or two but thats about it.
Plus he already had a gun collection at home With a variety of different calibers and gauges I assume.
If theyre all assault type rifles he ordered then we know whats going on.
oldsoftie
(12,486 posts)They post pictures with all these different weapons because their friends think "Wow Jim's really cool! I wish I had that many!"
As you said, no real reason to have more than a few
And to add, it even makes you a more likely target. People know you have all of them & wait for the right time to break in and STEAL them to make a bunch of cash
oldsoftie
(12,486 posts)They keep buying and buying. If youve got 30000 rounds & a war DID break out, it'll either be over or you'll be dead before you can go thru anywhere NEAR that much
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)what's the difference? Can't use more than one at a time, and most just sit on the display.
Bomb materials are just a little bit different. Nobody sits back and admires fuses.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)So thats a problem.
And Im a gun owner and hunter.