Monday, January 12, 2015

Chris Johnson Arrested with a Gun in Florida


Chris Johnson

NFL dot com

Jets running back Chris Johnson was charged and booked in his native Orlando, Florida, on Friday on a second-degree misdemeanor charge of open carrying of weapons/firearms, according to the online records of the Orange County Clerk of Courts.

Orlando Police Department Sergeant Wanda Ford confirmed to NFL Media that Johnson was arrested Friday night.

NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the 29-year-old was pulled over for rolling through a stop sign, per a source close to the player. The police officer asked to search his car. Johnson cooperated, as he had nothing to hide. The police found his licensed and registered firearm under a book bag under his seat instead of locked up in the car.

The running back just capped off a disappointing season in New York with the Jets

The timing is obviously not fortuitous for Johnson, who will have a new general manager in the coming weeks; one that will decide whether to bring him back.

What do you think this means?: "police found his licensed and registered firearm under a book bag under his seat"

Florida doesn't require licensing and registration. If it was registered in NY, how did he get the gun to Florida without breaking other rules along the way?

In any case, he had just about all the requirements for getting arrested immediately for a gun crime: dreadlocks, neck tattoos, being black.

13 comments:

  1. If it was registered in NY, how did he get the gun to Florida without breaking other rules along the way?

    To what rules do you refer? I can't think of any legal obstacle to having one's New York-registered firearm in the car as one travels throughout the country.

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    1. You mean he safely stored it unloaded in a box which he put in the trunk while driving down the NJ Turnpike and then stopped somewhere to load the gun and put it under the front seat? Is that what you think?

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    2. Driving through Jersey with a properly cased firearm is perfectly legal Mike.

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    3. You mean he safely stored it unloaded in a box which he put in the trunk while driving down the NJ Turnpike and then stopped somewhere to load the gun and put it under the front seat? Is that what you think?

      How the hell would I know? Besides, the article gives no indication that he was arrested during his journey from NY to FL. For all I know, he had it packed away, unloaded, all nice and NJ-legal (meaning worthless for self-defense) until he got to his Orlando home, then unpacked his stuff, including the gun, and put it in the bag under his seat.

      At this point, I don't know, and would be just fascinated to learn how you know.

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    4. I was wondering why a rolling stop triggered a request to search his car in the first place. I'd be tempted to wonder if it was racial profiling, although I know that if it had been a cop answering to Michael Bloomberg, Mikeb would have said it was not, and was "common sense," instead.

      Another possibility is that although Orlando isn't particularly close to Miami, it wouldn't be shocking for an Orlando cop to be a Dolphins fan, and the Jets are division rivals. "Team profiling," perhaps?

      Regardless, in the final analysis, what needs to happen is that Florida's draconian open carry ban needs to go (and how is under a car seat, and in a bag, "open" carry, anyway?).

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    5. Racial profiling is my bet. Or that and a combination of Chris Johnson mouthing off.

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    6. Racial profiling is my bet.

      But the stopping and frisking of African-Americans and Hispanics at a vastly disproportionate rate under Bloomberg was not racial profiling--just "common sense," right?

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  2. "Florida doesn't require licensing and registration. If it was registered in NY, how did he get the gun to Florida without breaking other rules along the way?"

    I don't follow football much, but my first thought was that he has a carry permit and one article I saw said that the officer that pulled him over saw the gun on the floor of the car between his feet.
    Most states require firearms to be stored properly when in a car. Unloaded,cased,etc. If you have a permit, it doesn't apply as long as you control the firearm. In Florida, you can be cited if your firearm is visible, something that Minnesota avoided by not requiring concealment.
    I'm not really sure if he's a resident of NY or Florida. He works in NY, and most article refers to native Florida of hometown of Orlando. If he is a NY resident, depending on where he lives, he could possibly easily get a carry permit, or he could have a non-resident Florida carry permit.
    Even without a carry permit, to transport guns to Florida, you simply either put them in your car cased and unloaded and drive. Or if your flying, put cased and unloaded firearm in checked bag following rules provided by the airline.

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    1. "I don't follow football much"
      What has his job got to do with a possible gun crime?
      "my first thought" , "If you have a permit" , "I'm not really sure if he's a resident of NY or Florida" , "If he is a NY resident, depending on where he lives"
      You know so little about it, but don't hesitate to make claims.

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    2. "You know so little about it, but don't hesitate to make claims."

      Mike does that quite often here Sandra. For example, he seems to assume that since Johnson plays for NY, that he must be a NY resident and therefor need to register his guns there.
      I addressed both possibilities. Depending on where you live in NY, it can either be easy or impossible to get a carry permit.

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    3. Great reply. Blame Mike and that excuses you. I wasn't talking to Mike.

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    4. That's his MO Sandra, distraction and diversion. Typical for a gun loon.

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  3. Well, it seems that he does have a carry permit. Glad this isn't an issue where I live.

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