American man who travelled to Caribbean faces 12 years for bullets accidentally left in luggage

Sure. But the judge will believe his story and sentence him als low as possible. If you don't accept laws like this then think it's for his stupidness.

BTW: How many tons of ammunition to do think are getting lost each year, "forgotten to look after"?

 

This was blowing up on TikTok yesterday as people were quick to point out the hypocrisy on both sides of the tribes. The majority were mocking conservatives for their empathy for the guy caught with illegal bullets as oppose to their previous unsympathetic views on Britney Griner caught with illegal vape cartridges. There were even some mocking progressives on their "it's their country their laws views" while being totally outraged over Russia's treatment of Brittney Grinner and LGBT visitors during the Olympics.

What a totally polarized world we live in.

 

"A court still May impose a strict 12-year sentence"....... May or must ?

I feel for the dude but man come on.... You are traveling to a foreign Nation. You must be extra special certain cautious about what you may or may not have upon your belonging or person's

 

But he DID “violate the laws” and again that is why you have embassies. They deal with this stuff day in day out and I can tell you as a citizen of the globe Americans have managed to annoy a lot of people in a lot of countries by insisting that they are somehow above the law. We understand it is not all of you but unfortunately there are those…….

 

This is just another reason that I will never leave the best Nation on this planet. I don't even like leaving the county limits and don't feel comfortable until I see the sign welcoming me home to my county.

 

Awww come on - if we offered you a free ticket to a herpetologist convention with all the free Taipan petting you wanted you would be on the first plane over

 

Well, then you will never experience the freedoms that other countries offer. Freedoms you didn't know exist.

 

You mean like the freedoms that the fellow who is the subject of this story is currently enjoying?

 

This happened last year too.
https://tcweeklynews.com/us-tourist-pleads-guilty-to-possession-of-ammunition-p13536-127.htm

The max sentence for possessing ammunition without a license is 15 years, but the Supreme Court of Turks and Caicos Islands sentenced him to only 8 months in prison.
https://tcilii.org/akn/tc/judgment/tcasc/2023/81/eng@2023-09-18

 

It seems to me that the focus of the issue here should be the apparently inflexible mandatory sentencing (that I'm personally not a fan of) rather than the nature of the gun laws there. It's a bit harder to object to that from the context of the US though.

I certainly don't think he should be imprisoned at all for this, and would hope that can be the natural outcome, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be offence. A lot of people seem to be making a big thing about it being a mistake, but that while that can (and should) be mitigation, isn't an automatic defence for breaking the law. After all, a whole load of laws are fundamentally based on the concept of something done intentionally but though negligence.

I would suggest that this also demonstrates the risks of such a casual approach to firearms and ammunition, which allows such mistakes to be made and while it didn't cause any direct harm in this case, it certainly has in others. Maybe the lesson here could be for people to take much more care and attention when handling and transporting guns or ammunition.

 

On a slightly related note, speaking about transporting weapons..... It should go without saying but many people are somewhat lackadaisical.... A gun should never be left in Plainview inside of a vehicle and the vehicle should be locked at all times that the owner is not present.

Far too many guns are stolen that way.

 

as I said, negligence does not merit this sort of punishment and I would have no problem with the USA using whatever powers it wanted to crush that country if they imprison a guy for a non-crime

 

Why? Why would you want to escalate this over someone being a stupid idiot? Would you call for the same action were this someone with prescription meds

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ugs-caused-tourist-arrested-airport-Bali.html

Lols! You will probably say no until you get a look at the woman in question

https://www.afp.gov.au/

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/...ings-that-can-get-you-detained-at-the-airport

 

lets cut the crap-how can anyone justify putting someone in prison for 12 years for merely having a few bullets-no gun, no intention. I'd say that government needs to be changed or eliminated.

 

And if it turns out his intent was more nefarious? You are assuming that he was innocent - he could have been a hit man under contract with “we can supply a gun but BYO bullets” ( I should write for James Bond lols!)

it is still their government not yours - did you read the list of weird **** you can be detained for at airports?

 

you continue to demonstrate how little you understand about firearms. You just like the fact that someone who likes to Hunt is having his life ruined because you assume he is a Trump supporter and or a gun advocate. It's so obvious.

 

A woman from Florida who was visiting Turks and Caicos for Mother's Day has been arrested. She had illegal ammunition in her luggage.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...nition-found-baggage-turks/story?id=110276888

 

you must be joyful over her arrest,

 

Yet another reason not to leave the best country in the world. I won't even travel to an authoritarian liberal state.

 

I also never plan to leave the USA, have never had a passport, no desire to leave, plenty to explore when I retire in the States

 

Are you allowed to carry the same sort of ammo in the US?
Or only black powder and musket balls?

 

That would depend on the state. Some of the most restrictive States might have ammunition regulations.

Due to a series of youthful indiscretions, I myself can only possess certain muzzleloaders made on or before 1918 or replicas thereof as they are not considered firearms under federal and state law.

They worked during the civil war and they work now just the same. Might not be quite as good as a modern one but any gun is better than no gun. And this despite me never having committed any violent crimes and having been in zero trouble in almost 20 years

Now that is an interesting question about what consists of ammunition on those islands. According to United States law ammunition consists of a cartridge containing gunpowder and a primer and projectile. In other words modern ammunition.

Under that legal definition, loose gunpowder and projectiles and percussion caps would not be ammunition, but I suppose an enterprising prosecutor could argue that they consist of ammunition when you have all three together. But there is no law that I have seen that calls those three components ammunition

 

You could spend lifetimes roaming around this nation and never see half of it

 

More information on at least Florida laws.

Properly licensed convicted felons may hunt with bows, crossbows, air guns or antique firearms per Florida Statute 790 during hunting seasons when such devices are legal for taking game. The 2015 Florida Statutes Title XLVI, Section, 790.001(1) states "Antique firearm means any firearm manufactured in or before 1918 (including any matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap or similar early type of ignition system) or replica thereof, whether actually manufactured before or after the year 1918, and also any firearm using fixed ammunition manufactured in or before 1918, for which ammunition is no longer manufactured in the United States and is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade."

 

so the constitution does allow restricting free American's right to guns, is religion next