Quote:
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud
There's no way the city of Los Angeles would release a multi-millionaire driving a $250,000 dollar vehicle on $35k bail if this offense carried actual prison time.
I'd bet dollars to donuts his attorney makes a deal with the DA for something like Community Service and whatnot.
It's not like there was intent to commit a crime.
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There does not always have to be an intent to commit a crime and firearms crimes are frequently a prime example of that. Let's say you buy a rifle with a 16" barrel but it turns out that 2" of that barrel is a flash suppressor that you don't like, so you change it for a muzzle brake that is only 1". Well, now your firearm has a barrel of 15" and is considered a short-barreled rifle. Your ignorance of this law and your lack of intent is of no consequence. Unless you put a 2" muzzle brake or register it as a short-barreled rifle Title III weapon, the penalties are the same as if you possessed a fully automatic firearm. The ATF does indeed prosecute these types of cases.
$35K is generally a pretty steep price for bail for a straight firearms offense. Generally felon in possession of firearms bail is $5-10K, depending upon the underlying felony and the firearm at issue. He has no underlying felony and its possession of the weapon itself that is a crime. The bail price in his case could be because he was a wealthy super star. People with more money have more resources to flee and might have to pay a higher bond. It could be that LA County views firearms offenses as particularly egregious. It could be that the Uzi was fully automatic. There could be some other reason but it isn't clear right now from the news.
The one potential saving grace for him if it was a fully automatic Uzi would be if he had the proper tax stamp and the firearm was lawfully registered but he did not have proof with him. If you own a Title III weapon (fully auto, short-barreled rifle, suppressor), you need to keep a copy of your tax stamp and ownership documents with you at all times. I have seen people get arrested for possession when they had the firearm but did not have their paperwork. That usually gets resolved pretty easily. But California also has strict laws about carrying firearms in the car. He undoubtedly faces charges for having his firearm in a vehicle and not in a locked container in the trunk or otherwise inaccessible to the driver.