Finally, some good news to report in the fight to restore the Second Amendment!

Weapons charges against Gordon Van Gilder, a seventy-two-year-old retired teacher, have been dropped by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. We reported the case when charges were filed against Mr. Van Gilder in a recent installment of Felony Friday. The mess began when he was pulled over by a Cumberland County sheriff’s deputy for a minor traffic violation. Apparently, Mr. Van Gilder, who was a passenger in the vehicle, and the operator of the vehicle were pulled over because they were “acting suspiciously in a known drug area.”

After being pulled over, the officer asserted his desire to search the vehicle. Mr. Van Gilder obliged the officer’s wish and volunteered to the deputy that there was an antique pistol in the glove box. Van Gilder and the man driving the vehicle, Adam Puttergill, were permitted to leave the scene. But the next morning four police officers greeted him the next morning with loud pounding on the door of his home and presented an arrest warrant.

Before the charges were dropped, Mr. Van Gilder potentially faced ten years in prison for the crime of transporting an 18th century flintlock pistol in his glove box. If you missed the original story in Felony Friday, then I recommend reading it to at least gain some perspective on the lunacy of New Jersey’s gun laws. It is completely insane that a law even exists that makes the transporting of a legally owned antique pistol a felony.

NJ.com has the scoop on the charges being dismissed:

“The public should be forewarned about the prescriptions against possessing a firearm (even an antique) in a vehicle,” Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McCrae said Wednesday in a written statement. “Notwithstanding, upon careful review of the circumstances of this case, I am exercising prosecutorial discretion to dismiss the (unlawful possession of a weapon) charges in the interest of justice in accordance with, the Graves Act governing firearms offenses in New Jersey.”

Don’t get me wrong, it is great news that the prosecutor used his discretion to dismiss the weapons charges against Gordon Van Gilder. But this is not enough. Van Gilder’s lawyer, Evan Nappen, hinted that more needed to be done to change the laws that allowed these charges to be filed in the first place.

“My client and myself are extremely happy,” said Nappen Wednesday evening of news that the charges against Van Gilder would not be pursued further. “I would like to commend Prosecutor Webb-McCrae for dismissing this,” although more work needs to be done in Trenton to address the issue, he suggested.

This outcome is certainly a win for Mr. Van Gilder, who won’t face jail time for this non-crime, but the fact of the matter is terrible gun laws remain on the books in New Jersey. Until this changes, more individuals will be abused by the state of New Jersey for the crime of exercising their Second Amendment rights.

To learn about another outrageous gun arrest in New Jersey, check out Tuesday’s episode of the Lions of Liberty Podcast. Host Marc Clair was joined by guest Brian Aitken, the author of The Blue Tent Sky: How the Left’s War on Guns Cost Me My Son and My Freedom. Brian describes the circumstances which led to his arrest in New Jersey for transporting his legally owned guns, and how prosecutors, judges, and even his first attorney tried to pressure him into a plea deal. Brian details how the jury was manipulated to produce a “guilty” verdict, his brief time spent in prison, and what led Governor Christie to commute his sentence. Brian and Marc then discuss how this event has impacted Brian’s political views, how it has kept Brian from seeing his son for over six years, and what listeners can do to help him reunite with his son. Be sure not to miss this heart-wrenching tale of injustice on the latest Lions of Liberty Podcast.

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