Another jewryduty another true bill
Unfortunately I wasn't able to think up an excuse compelling enough to get my fellow jurors not to indict on the gun possession charge, based on how absurdly broad the statute is. Apparently anyone is "guilty" in this shithole state if they merely possess a loaded firearm outside of their home or business… period. Not even a carve-out for permitting or licensing. That is fucking WILD to me, because as written and understood on its face… every cop on patrol, especially on-foot, would be guilty under this statute at all times.
Despite this fact, initial show of hands marked me as the ONLY one I could see, out of 20 of us, who wasn't sold, and I think trying to convince the rest based on us not knowing the driver's occupation and therefore not being able to rule out the vehicle as a "place of business" was going to work. Might have been different if I could challenge the statute itself as absurd, but of course we're not allowed to do that openly. So in the interest of not being thrown out, I simply voted against the charge but remained silent.
Ah well, at least the guy was definitely guilty otherwise. We even saw dashcam footage from a police sergeant with a curiously thick Irish accent that was pursuing him that night. The dude was going 80mph down a dark, winding highway on a rainy night, and he ended up crashing into an oncoming car after literally flipping his car over onto its roof and, I shit you not, it fucking caught fire somehow. So of course, I voted to indict on everything else. My duty is done, and my conscience is clean.
So, how was your day, chumbies?