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Cannon Owner Fires at Neighbors

Nessie said:
Yes! From the MTV link

"Apparently it's 100% legal to own a ***** cannon, but police arrested Malta for menacing and harassment after "[w]e had reports from people that had heard the cannon go off," some of them reportedly miles away.

The local sheriff wouldn't say what drove Malta to this alleged barrage, only calling it "a civil matter," adding, "I don't recall, during my 34-year career, taking a cannon" until now.

Somewhat disappointingly, police claim that Malta wasn't firing cannonballs, just the cannon equivalent of blanks. If he had, though, the National Cannon Association would probably blame the neighbors for not owning their own howitzers for self-defense"

That looks like it was written for a JREF thread about guns!
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Not quite. It's a person in New York can own a cannon replica. Shooting anything more than 'blanks' turns it from a 'cannon' into a 'bomb'.

One can get 'real' cannon as well, but with huge restrictions unless they're disabled. This is, as near as I can tell with the ones outside the Legion, done by pouring concrete down the barrel.


This was done .8 miles from the farm, and .6 miles from a law enforcement officer's house. The creek to the north is one of the spots I camp regularly after getting permission to walk through Kidders fields there.

Oh, and we should all feel terrible that an MTV article closely matches the discourse on JREF. Just saying.
 
davefoc said:
Jeez, a bunch of people making a big deal about a guy firing a cannon at his neighbor. How about giving him some credit for not putting a cannon ball in it?

And now the police have taken away the guy's cannon. How about a little sympathy for the guy. That looked like it might have been an expensive cannon. What's he supposed to shoot at his neighbors with now?
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Dave, what a surprise to see your post here. This issue is a lot less serious than the accusations against Amanda Knox.

To answer your question about what he is supposed to use to shoot at his neighbors now: He could buy a manure spreador, modify it, and fling dung at them.:D
Strozzi
 
Strozzi said:
...

To answer your question about what he is supposed to use to shoot at his neighbors now: He could buy a manure spreador, modify it, and fling dung at them.:D
Strozzi
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But then that would match the definition for a WMD! (at least on paper)

Without looking it up again cannons manufactured before a certain year are "grandfathered" and are able to be bought/sold. Hm...I think I saw that on "Pawn Stars" and the year under discussion was..1890-ish? Eh. I don't know.
 
Nessie said:
... the National Cannon Association would probably blame the neighbors for not owning their own howitzers for self-defense"
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Too bad this didn't happen in California. The neighbors could have hired this guy to show up with some of his tanks.

Steve S
 
Ranb said:
One from a man who says he can hear and feel gunfire concussion 1-2/3 miles away from the range inside of his house. Since I can't feel the concussion of even muzzle braked 50 caliber rifles from the range parking lot I have reason to think he is exaggerating.

Ranb
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Remember different people do have very different hearing. If you spend a lot of time on shooting ranges, your own hearing may be well down on what it was to start with, just like being around a noisy workplace.
 
Ranb said:
I wonder how far away the neighbor's house is? I took a look at Prosser Road on Google Maps and it isn't densely populated although some houses are close enough to much bothered by cannons.

I belong to a local gun club that has been around since 1926. There have been some complaints lately. One from a man who says he can hear and feel gunfire concussion 1-2/3 miles away from the range inside of his house. Since I can't feel the concussion of even muzzle braked 50 caliber rifles from the range parking lot I have reason to think he is exaggerating.
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Not really. The way sound travels is governed by geography and atmospheric phenomenon. That you can't hear something in point A means very little with regards to point B. For noise pollution (rather than the short range damage to hearing stuff) it usually requires a sustained period of monitoring with a suitable decibel meter to figure out what is going on. Even thats a bit hit and miss.
 
jhunter1163 said:
I just can't imagine what would drive someone to do something like this. At what point do you say to yourself, "I'm sick of these neighbors. I'm gonna sue them... no! I've got a better idea! I'll fire my cannon at them!"
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I figure if you've got a cannon lying around you're pretty much looking for any excuse to use that sucker.
 
jhunter1163 said:
I just can't imagine what would drive someone to do something like this. At what point do you say to yourself, "I'm sick of these neighbors. I'm gonna sue them... no! I've got a better idea! I'll fire my cannon at them!"
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That's simple: i have a cannon, but the courthouse is all the way down the road.
 
jhunter1163 said:
I just can't imagine what would drive someone to do something like this. At what point do you say to yourself, "I'm sick of these neighbors. I'm gonna sue them... no! I've got a better idea! I'll fire my cannon at them!"
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Well, this man does have a solid history as a pillar of the community.

Malta unsuccessfully ran for the Celoron village board in 2004 and 2005, as well as for Celoron mayor in 2007.

A federal judge in 2007 ruled against his claim that Celoron public officials were infringing on his First Amendment rights by prohibiting his videotaping of village board meetings.
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Yes, he's one of those people who insists that the 1st Amendment also gives him the right to go to board meetings and never sit down or shut up.
 
jhunter1163 said:
I just can't imagine what would drive someone to do something like this. At what point do you say to yourself, "I'm sick of these neighbors. I'm gonna sue them... no! I've got a better idea! I'll fire my cannon at them!"
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When wouldn’t you use it? “Hey Bob, some of yer mail got left on my porch by mistake. No, don’t bother coming round… it’s on its way”
 
jhunter1163 said:
I just can't imagine what would drive someone to do something like this. At what point do you say to yourself, "I'm sick of these neighbors. I'm gonna sue them... no! I've got a better idea! I'll fire my cannon at them!"
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What's the point of having a cannon if you can't use it to defend your rights?
 
What I find insane is that someone is allowed to own a cannon and the wherewiths to fire it on a private premise in a residential area.

What if he decides to, instead of "just" the wad, put something like a bag of nails into it and fire it?:eek:

Hans
 
I must have a touch of dyslexia because I read the title as "Cannon Fires Owner at Neighbors".
 
MRC_Hans said:
What I find insane is that someone is allowed to own a cannon and the wherewiths to fire it on a private premise in a residential area.
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Where else are reenactors supposed to keep that stuff between events?
 
MRC_Hans said:
In a safe place. Do reenactors need a working cannon?
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What "safe place", other than one on their property?

And they don't strictly need them, because reenacting is a hobby and as such anything involved with it is a want, not a need. But having cannons is certainly fun, and it does add to the experience (especially when reenacting naval battles--simply having two ships circle each other isn't the same as having them firing cannons).
 
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