Reason #7,452 to Stay out of NJ

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by tulianr, May 22, 2013.


  1. tulianr

    tulianr Don Quixote de la Monkey

    – TX Man Transporting Unloaded Firearms Through NJ Doing 3-5 Years in Prison

    May 21 2013
    A TX man, who was in the process of moving to Maine, made a very simple mistake, and never made it to his hew home. Dustin Reininger is serving a 3-5 year prison sentence in the Garden State because he made a mistake, he stopped to take a nap in NJ during his multi day drive from Texas to Maine.

    Police approached Reininger’s car when he was taking a nap near a bank in Readington, NJ.

    Police then searched the suspect’s vehicle after seeing gun cases laying in the back seat and found the man’s personal gun collection, which was being transported in the car. This included 14 rifles, 4 shotguns and 3 handguns along with hollow point ammunition (which is extremely illegal in NJ). Reininger was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 5 years in prison, with a chance for parole after 3.

    Reininger would not have been arrested if his guns were simply in locked cases, or if he possessed a NJ Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, which not being a resident of NJ, he obviously did not possess.

    Reininger’s attorney has serious issues with the way the search was conducted on his client’s vehicle and he is also upset that jurors were not told about a federal law which allows people who are traveling to transport guns through states which may have more restrictive gun laws. Although the transportation exemption also requires guns to be locked and inaccessible.
    Based on the source article it is unclear if Mr. Reininger was unaware of New Jersey’s extremely strict gun laws.

    Reininger’s case is in the news once again because he just lost his appeals case. The only further step he and his attorneys can take is to petition the New Jersey Supreme Court.

    According to lehighvalleylive.com via the AP Reininger’s attorney made the following statements,

    “All the officers saw were cases,” Nappen said. “The court is essentially saying the plain view of a gun case is a basis for a warrantless search. That means every law-abiding gun owner in New Jersey is subject to warrantless search if they transport their firearms in a gun case.​
    “My recommendation to all gun owners is to transport all firearms in guitar cases,” he added.​
    “If he’d had [a firearms owner ID card], he wouldn’t have been guilty of this offense,” Nappen said. “He didn’t have one because he didn’t live here. He was in transit and all the guns were lawfully his. So you have a situation where he is, in effect, turned into a criminal by New Jersey’s gun laws”​

    As if you you need any other reasons not to visit NJ, even in passing, here you go. An otherwise law abiding American citizen has had his life ruined due to the draconian gun laws of a single state.

    Reason #7,452 to Stay out of NJ – TX Man Transporting Unloaded Firearms Through NJ Doing 3-5 Years in Prison
     
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  2. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Another good reminder to check on local gun laws when traveling, moving or visiting family in another part of the country as well as the pass thru areas to get where you are going!! Like checking of your CCW portability and if it is accepted in neighboring states you might be visiting.

    Unfortunately for this guy, his ignorance of these NJ law's landed him in hot water. Just because he had gun cases in plain sight does not give probable cause in my book, as it sounds like from the story, he committed no other offense giving them reason to search his vehicle. Just because you have a gun case in your vehicle, does not give the LEO the right for a warrantless search, fishing for a crime!! You may have a small zip-lock bag sitting in the back seat, does that give them probable cause to tear your vehicle apart looking for pot without a warrant.....no.
     
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  3. Wheelsucker

    Wheelsucker Out of Airspeed, Altitude & Ideas

    Everything you need to know about NJ is revealed in the law that precludes them from pumping their own gas.
     
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  4. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    tulianr likes this.
  5. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Why should any free man have to apply for permits and licenses to own and transport a firearm in the first place?

    This man was a criminal the second law enforcement caught sight of him; the police prey upon the people and criminalize the innocent. There was nothing he could have done aside from diverting his route around NJ, DE, DC, MA, NY and S. Eastern PA. In fact, perhaps he may have had better luck at sea. Land of the enslaved. Disgusting.
     
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  6. Illini Warrior

    Illini Warrior Illini Warrior

    with all the problems they have in NJ .... you'd think they would just toss him out of the state and do a public destruction of his weapons ..... it sounds like they believe him about transporting the weapons/ammo THRU the state ....
     
  7. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    If he had simply locked the cases, he would not have even been arrested. The ammo was illegal, but the biggest offence seems to be that the guns were immediate access, padlocks would have solved that.
     
  8. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Padlocks sounds easy at first. Problem is we do not know the type of gun cases. I just purchased some very well made, padded with ammo pocket 1000 denier nylon rifle cases, cheap @$22.00. Zippers had a single pull and no way to lock them to the end of the case. OK for me but not worth a darn in NJ Land.

    Cable locks and/or pulled bolts would have been a good idea and what I use.
     
  9. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Yeah, I have a few of those type of cases myself. I know if I was caught with a gun in the glovebox, or stuffed under the seat, I too would be going to jail. Here, if I remember all the rules correctly, guns must be in locked cases, unloaded, with ammo also locked. they can be transported in the trunk, no problem, locked up, if on the seat beside me, but they can not be ready access. Only a concealed carry allows for anything different.
    As for "no way to lock them to the end of the case" I have. I drilled a hole through the soft case at the end of the zipper, grommeted the hole, then pass a cheap small master padlock through the case, and pull tab. I use keyed alike masters on all of my hunting gear, so one key fits any lock I use. Looks fine, satisfies the law, prevent meddling, and I know what I loaded will be in there, when I reach for it. I know here, they were concerned with road-rage.
     
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  10. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I completely agree that we should not have to be licensed or carry a special permit to have a firearm on us at any given time. But the reality is until the laws change in your AO, you have to operate in the confines of said laws or end up in the pokey such as this individual. All I can further say is get the permit to carry concealed, at least in that manner you are covered for most issues that may arise regarding weapons during a traffic stop..... I generally have 1 or 2 handguns on me or within my vehicle at all times and they are never viewable, the only thing you may ever see is the long guns in cases on the way to or from the range/hunting or whatever..... and in that case the permit covers it. YMMV
    YD
     
  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    I travel with a FireArm, ALWAYS... My Browning HiPower 9mm goes with me EVERYWHERE, when I am not in Alaska. It lives in the same Hard Pistol Case, that I bought for it 40 years ago. The two boxed of Ammo (One FMJ and one JHP +P) travels inside the Case, with the weapon as do the two FACTORY 13 Round Magazines. The case has some cheap Latch Locks, that satisfy the Federal Locked Case Requirement. I have had only ONE incident with ANY Law Enforcement Agency, and that was with TSA at the Airport, in Austin, Tx. It was resolved, and dealt with, by Official Complaint to TSA HQ in DC, and an acknowledgement, that the stated Policy in Austin, Tx was NOT the Policy of TSA. I will NEVER travel to NY, CT, CO, DC, or NJ, as I have NO Interest in what is there, and I have no intention of EVER, turning my Safety, over to some Yahoo State Cop, who has NO LEGAL DUTY, to protect me from ANYTHING. ..... YMMV....
     
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