Man Arrested in Lousiana for Legal Open Carry

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:58:07 GMT  <== RKBA ==> 

Nicki Fellenzer - a story from a man in Gonzales, Louisiana, who was arrested for open carry of a handgun, which is legal there.

I sent the following to the Gonzales Police Chief: [nicki]

Message-ID: <8fbe874a0602170357kb106f81j57e0d6788030ff1b@mail.gmail.com>
From: "Bill St. Clair" <bill@billstclair.com>
To: Bill Landry <gonzpd@eatel.net>
Subject: Assault and Grand Larceny Report

Mr. Landry,

It has come to my attention that in late January a number of your, uh... men, arrested Mr. Mark Edward Marchiafava, at gunpoint, for open carry of a handgun. Mr. Marchiafava was released on a $200 bond, and, since open carry is perfectly legal in Louisiana, District Attorney Tony Falterman declined prosecution. You informed Mr. Marchiafava that, as per policy, his gun was sent to the state police police crime lab for ballistics testing.

I came about this information from a source I trust, but have not communicated directly with Mr. Marchiafava, nor have I heard the arresting officers' version of the story, so please correct me if I got any of the facts wrong.

I don't get it. Since when do the police arrest a person for breaking no law? Do you still exist to protect and serve? Will you help us to defend the peace? Or are you an organized criminal gang that needs to be eradicated?

It seems to me that your officers were the criminals in this case. They assaulted Mr. Marchiafava and stole his property. You should be arresting them for those major felonies.

But I doubt Mr. Marchiafava really wants that to happen. Howsabout if you apologize to him, give his gun back, and inform your, uh... men, that in the future they will not arrest people for being prepared to defend their lives by carrying appropriate, legal tools?

Or maybe next time, the guy you assault will have some friends, and they'll use those tools for their intended purpose, defending themselves against marauding hoodlums like your, uh... men.

Deadly serious,

Bill St. Clair
bill@billstclair.com

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Comments (1):

I can't speak for Louisiana,

Submitted by Paul B. on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:32:03 GMT

I can't speak for Louisiana, but in Texas the law explicitly states than deadly force can be used in the event of an officer using greater force than necessary. Food for thought.

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