Brickbat: British Pickers

A British judge has let Kathleen Woodward, 64, off with just an admonishment for having an unlicensed firearm. She a faced five years in prison after reporting that an antique pistol owned by her husband had been stolen from a safe in her home.

Brickbat Archive

Comments

[Mr Whipple]

A permit for an antique gun that is locked in a safe? I don't even think you need that in NJ, unless you are a convicted child killer, or something.

[Pound. Head. On. Desk.]

The Brits have become unbelievable pussies. What happened to these once-proud men?

[l0b0t]

"Once, we had an Empire; now we have a slum."

From the article, it seems that the burglar was the one who was insisting that charges also be filed against his victim. Incidents like this just reinforce my belief that the Founding Fathers made the correct choice in leaving the 'ole home sod and giving the Redcoats a beating for trying to drag them back.

[Suthenboy]

When I visited england back in the nineties, I met a dozen or so people there who had had had their homes burglarized, some more than once, and often while they were home. One told me that when he reported it to the police it took them two weeks to show up to make a report. None of those burglaries were 'solved'.

[Matrix]

Here in America, someone breaks into your home while you are there, you shoot the intruder. Case closed.

[Jerryskids]

I believe Reason had an article on the fact that home invasions (burglaries while the occupants are at home) are much more common in England than in the US because the gun laws are so strong and self-defense laws are so weak there. Why burglarize a home and just get what you can find when you can wait until the people are at home and get their wallets and watches and make them tell you where they have any valuables hidden? It's not like they are going to have a gun or are going to fight back.

On the other hand, given their gob-smackingly stupid laws on squatters rights, they may be grateful for home invasions instead of home thefts.

[LarryA]

England today reminds me of visiting my father-in-law at the stage of Alzheimer's where he could carry on a pleasant conversation about the good old days, but couldn't put together a picture puzzle with more than three pieces.

God, please don't let my son-in-law have to go through that, with me or the U.S.

[lisa00]

i love the way 'secret space' is put in scare quotes and is clearly a very evil idea according to british intel.

a SECRET SPACE!!!

there will be no secrets in the uk. and whatever one thinks of US 2012 griffey shoes jurisprudence regarding privacy, warrants, etc., brit cops have far fewer restrictions in search, seizure and arrest

[marya]

My sister has a longchamp and she likes the Longchamp Bag very much. When people ask her why she likes her sac longchamp Bag so much, she just answers like that thee is no reason and because she likes my Longchamp Bag, so she likes it.