Delete comment from: The War on Guns
Oh well:
Shooting suspect was strident in support of open carry efforts
A prominent gun rights advocate charged in a May 9 homicide seemed impatient with others in the so-called open carry movement when he announced his intentions on a message board two years ago.
Gonzalez had filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last year over his arrests in 2008 and 2009 for wearing a loaded handgun into a Menards and a Wal-Mart. Neither disorderly conduct arrest led to formal charges, and a week after his suit was filed, state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen advised law enforcement agencies that wearing a gun in public, by itself, is not evidence of disorderly conduct. Gonzalez's case was being followed by gun rights advocates around the region. He was being represented by a Georgia attorney who specializes in gun rights cases.
A judge dismissed Gonzalez's civil lawsuit two days before he was charged in the shootings.
As part of that suit, he was interviewed under oath in September, and partial transcripts of the deposition reveal a little more about Gonzalez's interest in Second Amendment rights.
While he said he had no formal training in firearms or the law, he sparred repeatedly with Remzy Bitar, an attorney for the two cities named in the lawsuit, and showed a detailed knowledge of statutes and case law relating to gun possession, even citing oral arguments from notable cases.
Bitar asked many questions about comments Gonzalez posted on OpenCarry.org, an Internet forum for discussions about gun laws and rights. Gonzalez also recounted in detail his store visits that led to arrests in West Milwaukee and Chilton and became the subject of his federal lawsuit.
After the shootings, police served a search warrant at Gonzalez's home and seized three additional handguns, three rifles, a shotgun and about 1,300 rounds of ammunition. They also seized correspondence that appeared to be related to his civil lawsuit, a hunter safety certificate and receipts for the purchase of some of the weapons, including the 9mm handgun police say was used against John and Corn.
Gonzalez, who is being held on $100,000 bail, has no prior criminal record. His attorney, Nelida Cortes, did not return messages seeking comment.
May 18, 2010, 11:30:29 PM
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