Is there any question that the folks of Astoria Queens are better off now? In New York, if you want to own guns you need to have a good reason to do so. Unlike other states, this kind of sick obsession for hoarding guns is not tolerated.An Astoria, Queens, resident with an arsenal of weapons — including handguns, high-capacity rifle magazines, 10,000 rounds of ammo and 32 machetes — was busted yesterday, cops said.Michael Millazzo, 53, was taken into custody after cops broke down his door at 6:30 a.m. They initially were called to the address on Sunday over reports that someone was firing shots into the air.In the stockpile, cops found 10,537 rounds of ammo, a 9mm firearm, six high-capacity rifle magazines, a .40-caliber Glock, 60 knives, 16 air pistols and seven tasers.Millazzo was slapped with weapons and reckless-endangerment charges.He had been arrested in 2004 on weapons charges after cops found him in possession of five rifles and one handgun.Neighbors hailed the bust. “We are all paranoid that one day he was going to snap and kill us all,” one said. “We got lots of kids here. The entire community is worried about their kids. A lot of people complained.”
The results: everyone's better off.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
Mike, you are hopeless... so hopeless... Your stupidity has sucked the energy out of me...
ReplyDeleteMy "stupidity?" C'mon man, I think what's sucking the energy out of you is your inability to persuade.
DeleteYes, Mikeb. This man wasn't arrested for the number of guns in his possession. He apparently is in trouble for discharging a gun in the city limits. He may be a prohibited person. New York does not have laws limiting the number of firearms that a person may own, so far as I have seen. As always, a little research into gun laws would do you a world of good.
DeleteWe don't know anything about the subject person of the story so I will not speculate or comment about his character or his intentions.
ReplyDeleteSo his big offense was having two handguns and a lot of ammunition? And that's significant because ... ??? And that makes him particularly dangerous because ... ??? And that's hoarding???
I have a couple firearms at my home and some ammunition for them. I have never fired them in my yard, never shot them at anyone, and they are always stored safely (unloaded and separate from the ammunition). And yet they are ready in case I need them to defend my home or my neighbors. That makes my neighborhood more safe, not more dangerous.
1. An arsenal is a government facility for the storage and repair of weapons. Private citizens don't have arsenals. I wish that reporters would get that right.
ReplyDelete2. If this man was firing rounds into the air, then he deserves to be arrested and charged. But the mere possession of firearms, knives, and ammunition is not wrong and should never be a crime.
3. Since he has a weapons charge on his record, he could be a prohibited person already. More failure of gun control here.
4. In the free states of America, wanting to own a gun is a good enough reason to own one. We'll keep our freedom, thanks.
About your point number 1, which you stated with such authority,
DeleteDefinition of ARSENAL
a : an establishment for the manufacture or storage of arms and military equipment
b : a collection of weapons
Mikeb, I've explained this to you before. Modern dictionaries are failing to do their jobs. Their editors have decided to tell us how people use and misuse words, rather than stating the proper definitions. By contrast, I refuse to join in the sloppiness of others, and I refuse to be silent about it. And yes, on the subject of language, I do speak with authority, since teaching its good usage is my profession.
DeleteThis is an important point. Time and again, we see reporters make claims in articles that show that they have no clue about firearms. They don't understand the technical language; they don't understand the uses and functions, and they accept whatever the Brady Bunch press releases tell them.
That's nonsense, Greg. In English, which is extremely rich compared to other languages, words often have two and three acceptable meanings.
DeleteMore than one meaning? Sure, but I don't have to accept the histrionic usage of journalists and control freaks. See George Orwell's essay, "Politics and the English Language," for an explanation.
DeleteBeing a purist with regards word definitions and claiming others are wrong when they're not, is a superiority thing. I called you out on it and made you look silly.
DeleteHere's an example. I studied Latin so I would never use the word "decimate" to mean killing more than 10% of the people. But it is commonly used that way and in fact secondary definitions of the word allow it. Yet, I would never accuse someone of using it wrongly just because I prefer the stricter definition.
But you, in your arrogance, love to point out others' faults. This time you were wrong.
In your view, Mikeb, I'm always wrong, so why should I be surprised here? The error of calling a collection an arsenal is the same error as referring to a magazine as a clip and to a semiautomatic rifle an assault rifle. At the least, it shows an ignorance about the subject, but it also is indicative of a bias against guns.
DeleteYou are correct to show that decimate is often misused, but in your typical toleration of any kind of error, so long as it doesn't involve a gun, you don't object when people abuse that word. Of course, to you, there is no right and wrong, except for owning guns. You call me arrogant? I stand up for what's right. I see no evidence that you stand for anything--again, other than disarming everyone.
Many times, I let small things like this slide. But when they're committed by people who are desperate to take away my rights, I cry foul.
Greg, why is it so difficult for you to get honest.
Delete"The error of calling a collection an arsenal is the same error as referring to a magazine as a clip and to a semiautomatic rifle an assault rifle."
Those three are not the same at all. Arsenal and magazine have multiple meanings. Assault rifle can include semi-auto guns depending on one's idea of what assault rifles are. This is not a matter of the dictionary definition like the other two words.