Although I am a seriously disabled ex-serviceman, with my main arteries made of plastic, my hearing half destroyed - along with my balance and I am recovering from the treatments for stage 4 cancer, I will tell you this: I have been arrested twice by the police in my lifetime; once for assault with a shotgun, when a major drugs dealer, who had beaten my niece and her children into three bloody pulps, forced his way into my Post Office with murderous intent. It was me that was arrested for pointing an UNLOADED shotgun at him whilst my then wife phoned the police for assistance.
In spite of the English police informing the Scottish police that they desperately wanted to question this intruder on suspicion of murder of
a Post Office Headmistress, the Scottish police released him and told my then wife that she ought to "divorce that bastard." (me) "Mr
name witheld seemed like a nice guy to us, we had to let him go." They did indeed let him go and before he left Scotland he drove backwards and forwards past my shop making signs with his hand of pistol shooting at myself and my wife in our shop.
The second time was much later. I was arrested by the police for saying that I would get a weapon and shoot a female social worker, who for reasons unknown to me, had come to my house with another female assistant and threatened my wife (the previous wife and I had divorced - we are still friends). She stood outside of our house, on my land, shouting at my present wife (Technophobe): "I can take your children away from you know." My wife, in a very agitated state, ran out to me calling for help. (Incidentally, I had never seen this woman before. I had never threatened her. Its a bit hard to threaten someone you have never met.)
I invited this woman into my house, intending to talk sensibly and find out what her problem was. I was never told why she had come. But, while she was there, she continued with threats to take my children away, insisted I get rid of several of my animals, including my daughter's pony. Whilst in our sitting-room she looked at a wooden fruit bowl on our table that was full of empty shotgun cartridges and informed me in spite of being told they were empty that she was a farmer's daughter and knew about guns. I said ok and then I turned to my wife and said: "I am going upstairs to get some dry clothes on." It had been raining outside and I was wet through.
She started shouting at my wife again and ordering me to get rid of our livestock or that she would take my children away. I informed her that I was a citizen of the Irish republic, as was my son and my daughter (we have dual nationality). If she continued I would speak to the Irish embassy and complain to Her Majesty about her behavior. My wife then ordered her out. She left, after sitting in our driveway with her assistant for about ten minutes talking.
An hour or so later the police turned up and arrested me. She had told them that I was a member of the IRA, had threatened her with a gun and a whole mass of other lies.
The police brought a massive string of charges against me.
All criminal charges were dropped, thanks to a lawyer who worked pro-bono (free) for me. The actual court case was postponed for a year and a half (very stressful) because shortly after this (while removing my animals for sale or re-homing) I was dragged by one of the animals she had told me to get rid of. It smashed me against a jagged rock, which ruptured my aorta and I had to be rushed to hospital, where, of course, I died, but was ressusitated and the artery repaired.
Incidentally, the only things that the police managed to get me with was the fact that one of my shotguns was not registered (according to them though my paperwork showed it was). I later found out that It had been registered with them, as I believed, but their computer system had crashed and lost the file. Put simply, they lied. The other charge - not having a shotgun locked away - was not an offence, because under the law a 9mm bolt action shotgun, which it was, is not a weapon if the bolt is locked up seperately, which It was.
The procurator fiscal and the judge allowed these charges to be brought even though they must, without any reasonable doubt, have known that law themselves.
This is how the law "works" in Britain. Of course, once agin, several thousand pounds worth of my shotguns, sporting and hunting, were taken away and never returned, or any compensation given.
Despite my innocence, I had to plea bargain the last two offences, because to have gone through another year and the high court would have killed me in my weakened state. As it is I am very, very lucky to be alive, despite heart problems and being in recovery from stage four cancer.
As a point of interest, I had in the past worked as a civillian liason officer for the police in England. I have served in the RAF and I was a founder member of the Defence Force at High Wycombe airbase for the AOC&C Europe. I have also served in the Civil Defence force before it was disbanded and as a civillian early warning systems controller. I had letters from the Chief Constable thanking me for my services and from the head of the Scottish Office before Scotland got its own parliament. My mother's family were all Oxford Dons and what are now commonly known as "spooks" during the second world war and my father was honored by the Queen (ISM). The woman who started the problems had multiple complaints (including from within the service and despite the fact that she was the person through whom all complaints had to be made) against her and was eventually "promoted sideways" or so I am told.
So I am asking you for, God's sake, and the sake of America and her people, never, ever give up the right to bear arms, or allow it to be reduced, or allow your written constitution to be weakened, for as long as the last American standing still draws breath. Because, it is your last and strongest defence against the control of the people by repressive or oppressive authority.
GOD BLESS AMERICA AND THE FREEDOM SHE REPRESENTS. AMEN!
Bernard Lowell Bartram.