Washington Garfield WA man gets 2 years in jail for homemade cannon

[Jason999]

So it looks like we've just sentenced a 63 year old to two years in jail for owning an unregistered destructive device. "A red, white & blue cannon that used soda pop cans as projectiles."

They don't show the cannon, and I cant find a photo of it, so I'm not sure why this is illegal. Was this a muzzleloading or breach loading cannon? Smokeless or blackpowder?

My knowledge about cannons are pretty limited. Though I thought that muzzleloader blackpowder cannons were unregulated, but breach loading cannons couldn't go over .50 cal, surpassing that would mean it's a destructive device.

Could his cannon have been a breech loader?

Man who built working cannon sentenced to 2 years prison

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A 63-year-old Eastern Washington man will spend two years in federal prison for building a working red, white and blue cannon in his garage.

apnews.com

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[WalkingTall]

The bore of the cannon was measured to be 1 ¼ inches, greater than the ½ inch bore permissible under federal law.

This is why they got him.

 

[Jason999]

I re-read a few things online, black powder muzzleloaders ARE exempt.

So this must have been a breech loader or using smokeless powder, as well as having the too large bore.

 

[Mark W.]

Good grief I have friends with 8lb bowling ball mortar that will throw a ball a good 1/2 mile. BP

 

[billdeserthills]

Good grief I have friends with 8lb bowling ball mortar that will throw a ball a good 1/2 mile. BP

 

[edzz]

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/are-muzzleloading-cannons-considered-destructive-devices

Muzzleloading cannons manufactured in or before 1898 (and replicas thereof) that are not capable of firing fixed ammunition are considered antiques

The part about "(and replicas thereof)" may have come into play.

https://apnews.com/article/wa-state-wire-id-state-wire-prisons-2af679c324269dd7d60b6a59d914469a

More likely the part about making death threats...

 

[ilikegunspdx]

This is why they got him.

No. Small town corruption is why they got him. It can take over these small towns and relatives of the power brokers control everything. It is really a sad thing when it happens.

 

[WalkingTall]

No. Small town corruption is why they got him. It can take over these small towns and relatives of the power brokers control everything.

Yes, breaking federal law had nothing to do with it.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

No. Small town corruption is why they got him. It can take over these small towns and relatives of the power brokers control everything. It is really a sad thing when it happens.

Yes, breaking federal law had nothing to do with it.

ATF is not out patrolling towns in the middle of nowhere with a population of 600, looking for 62 year olds with big Fourth of July celebrations. They were sicked on him by the local power holder. They have probably been feuding for a very long time I would guess. I've seen it happen in other towns and I know Garfield but not the parties involved.

 

[WalkingTall]

ATF is not out patrolling towns in the middle of nowhere with a population of 600, looking for 62 year olds with big Fourth of July celebrations. They were sicked on him by the local power holder. They have probably been feuding for a very long time I would guess. I've seen it happen in other towns and I know Garfield but not the parties involved.

He shouldn't have broken the law. Then he wouldn't have gone to prison.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

He shouldn't have broken the law. Then he wouldn't have gone to prison.

Yea I guess you think it's so great that there are wonderful people so eager to report him to the atf. Kind of like a communist country where citizens are expected to spy on each other and rat on each other for any little thing. U think the world is a better place because someone like this is behind bars?

 

[WalkingTall]

Yea I guess you think it's so great that there are wonderful people so eager to report him to the atf. Kind of like a communist country where citizens are expected to spy on each other and rat on each other for any little thing. U think the world is a better place because someone like this is behind bars?

Yes, hope he enjoys prison.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Yes, hope he enjoys prison.

Welcome to my ignore list. Unbelievable. U really should consider moving to California.

 

[Alexx1401]

Well again media. There has GOT to be more to this story that we are reading here. My lazy mans way of checking was to simply go to a site I loved when I was into front stuffers, Dixie Gun Works. They sell by mail cannon. So have to guess for this guy to have gotten on the wrong side of the ATF he was doing something he should not have been doing.

 

[billdeserthills]

Well again media. There has GOT to be more to this story that we are reading here. My lazy mans way of checking was to simply go to a site I loved when I was into front stuffers, Dixie Gun Works. They sell by mail cannon. So have to guess for this guy to have gotten on the wrong side of the ATF he was doing something he should not have been doing.

Yeah, I'll just pretend like the ATF has never made any mistakes

 

[Alexx1401]

Yeah, I'll just pretend like the ATF has never made any mistakes

FAR be it from me to defend the Feds but, says this guy has been in jail for a good while and ended up with prison time. sorry I have a real hard time believing this was just an "accident" and Feds, judge, all just "made a mistake" here. Since you can order a front stuffer cannon and have it sent to you? Seems like even a fresh out of school Public Defender could beat this case unless he had something other than a front stuffer cannon here. Sadly with media who the hell knows what the "rest of the story" is here.

 

[billdeserthills]

FAR be it from me to defend the Feds but, says this guy has been in jail for a good while and ended up with prison time. sorry I have a real hard time believing this was just an "accident" and Feds, judge, all just "made a mistake" here. Since you can order a front stuffer cannon and have it sent to you? Seems like even a fresh out of school Public Defender could beat this case unless he had something other than a front stuffer cannon here. Sadly with media who the hell knows what the "rest of the story" is here.

I agree that we don't know what the actual story is & part of that is likely because it's being purposely covered up by the gov't & that only makes me more suspicious of those dirty bastards

 

[Bushman]

I've seen kids make tennis ball launchers out of canned food fans and launch tennis balls with rubbing alcohol. Is that a felony??

 

[Alexx1401]

I've seen kids make tennis ball launchers out of canned food fans and launch tennis balls with rubbing alcohol. Is that a felony??

Not a lawyer and did not stay in a Holiday Inn last night but, my guess would be no since as far as I know you can still make those spud guns.
The guy in this story the real problem here is media. There is really no way to know what the hell it was he built that got him on the wrong side of the Feds.

 

[RobMa]

Like I said before, its just an excuse... any excuse. Especially if they want to try to scare the rest of us...
It is absolutely preposterous that they would spend so much time, money and resources to nail this old guy unless they had another agenda...