Gordon Van Gilder a NJ retired teacher may be facing up to 10 years in prison for possessing a flintlock pistol; a gun that may not have been used since the time of George Washington. Gilder may also lose his state pension for possessing the gun that underscores the New Jersey state’s strict gun laws.
Attorney Evan Nappen has called the situation “outrageous” especially if the gentlemen is convicted as well as having his pension revoked. Nappen added, “It’s crazy. The gun was unloaded and strictly possessed as a historical relic. We’re hoping the prosecutor will exercise discretion and dismiss his case.”
The incident was brought to the attention of the authorities after Gilder was stopped for a traffic violation in Cumberland County. Gilder acknowledged to the police that he had the firearm in his glove compartment, but it was unloaded and wrapped in cloth. The Gun was a recent purchase for his personal collection.
Nappen describes the gun by saying, “This is a Queen Anne flintlock, which is a very pretty gun. The barrel looks like a cannon and it has a single shot – you have to actually untwist the barrel to load it – it’s pretty involved to even attempt to load it. But the craftsmanship is from the 1760s, and it’s just magnificent to think that every piece of it was hand-made.”
According to Gilder, the “Next morning, I am sleeping and hear pounding on the door, and 4 of them came and took me away with 3 or 4 sheriff’s cars – I guess they didn’t have anything better to do with taxpayer money,” he then bitterly added, “I was fingerprinted and I was chained by my legs to an ice cold bench. Apparently there must be a lot of drive-by flintlock shootings in North Jersey.”
Photo By: NRA News / Youtube
