A.F. James MacArthur
Member
- Jul 1, 2009
- 16
Allow Me To Introduce Myself
Greetings Maryland Shooters!
Let me give special thanks to the folks who administer and maintain this site. I would also like to thank all of the many people who come onto here making this place a lively and viable place on the web. I only wish I'd found this place sooner.
I am not very good at introductions and I have a tendency to ramble on. For this introduction, I will do my best to condense and highlight some of the more relevant parts of telling you a little bit about me.
BACKGROUND BRIEFING
All of my life I have always had a leaning to public service and public safety. From becoming certified as an EMT at 16, then later volunteering with a local Fire/Rescue company, to joining the United States Marine Corps. My record speaks for itself. Along the way, I've been an officer with several different law enforcement/security agencies. Sometimes I wore a uniform, and eventually many times I did not.
During my years of working for the government, it was a love/hate relationship. I alternated between taking pride in my job and what I did, to being disgusted from what I saw and what I was asked to do. Several years ago I had enough. I saw too must mistreatment and disregard for peoples civil rights and the constitution. I was no longer interested in working for and giving my services to an entity whose actions I could no longer endorse.
As a big, black, intelligent, and often angry man, I've drawn a lot of hostile fire. When you speak your mind and you choose not to look the other way when you see corruption and wrong doing, you soon become a target. Having left government service, I looked forward to building a career as a contract SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR, and I thought I'd also do some consulting, teaching and training.
I got my start in this direction, but I have had to face those who would rather see me just go away. Most recently I've been doing battle with Baltimore City. After repelling two would be robbers with my legally owned firearm, I was arrested on a host of charges. Never mind that I called 911 to report the crime against me, and also informed them that I was armed.
For the enemies of freedom, this is all they needed. The responding officers never asked what my assailants looked like, did not care what direction they were last seen heading, no, what was chief on their mind was that I had a gun. Despite the gun being legal, they tried to trump up all sorts of charges with no evidence, witnesses or proof.
Having spent over 40 days in custody with no bail or being brought before a Commissioner, I now find myself very disillusioned with what now passes as the American system of justice. In a couple weeks I will be on trial for facing felony charges and years in prison. Why, because I dared take a chance at defending myself. Never mind no shots were ever fired. Just having the gun, is enough for these people to view you as an enemy of the state.
Besides living in a neighborhood where many have been killed, including several of my neighbors via home invasion. You can only imagine my shock at responding officers approaching me and rather than ask if I was ok, or something else you would ask a crime victim, the first question was, "why do you have a gun?" Never mind that little thing called the Second Amendment. I guess only the police are entitled to self defense and protecting their lives.
I suppose when you're black and live in the inner city, particularly a high crime area, the authorities would rather you just sit around and wait to be a statistic. Relying on calling 911 AFTER a crime has been committed ensures that at least a report will be written after you been killed. You hope.
Greetings Maryland Shooters!
Let me give special thanks to the folks who administer and maintain this site. I would also like to thank all of the many people who come onto here making this place a lively and viable place on the web. I only wish I'd found this place sooner.
I am not very good at introductions and I have a tendency to ramble on. For this introduction, I will do my best to condense and highlight some of the more relevant parts of telling you a little bit about me.
BACKGROUND BRIEFING
All of my life I have always had a leaning to public service and public safety. From becoming certified as an EMT at 16, then later volunteering with a local Fire/Rescue company, to joining the United States Marine Corps. My record speaks for itself. Along the way, I've been an officer with several different law enforcement/security agencies. Sometimes I wore a uniform, and eventually many times I did not.
During my years of working for the government, it was a love/hate relationship. I alternated between taking pride in my job and what I did, to being disgusted from what I saw and what I was asked to do. Several years ago I had enough. I saw too must mistreatment and disregard for peoples civil rights and the constitution. I was no longer interested in working for and giving my services to an entity whose actions I could no longer endorse.
As a big, black, intelligent, and often angry man, I've drawn a lot of hostile fire. When you speak your mind and you choose not to look the other way when you see corruption and wrong doing, you soon become a target. Having left government service, I looked forward to building a career as a contract SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR, and I thought I'd also do some consulting, teaching and training.
I got my start in this direction, but I have had to face those who would rather see me just go away. Most recently I've been doing battle with Baltimore City. After repelling two would be robbers with my legally owned firearm, I was arrested on a host of charges. Never mind that I called 911 to report the crime against me, and also informed them that I was armed.
For the enemies of freedom, this is all they needed. The responding officers never asked what my assailants looked like, did not care what direction they were last seen heading, no, what was chief on their mind was that I had a gun. Despite the gun being legal, they tried to trump up all sorts of charges with no evidence, witnesses or proof.
Having spent over 40 days in custody with no bail or being brought before a Commissioner, I now find myself very disillusioned with what now passes as the American system of justice. In a couple weeks I will be on trial for facing felony charges and years in prison. Why, because I dared take a chance at defending myself. Never mind no shots were ever fired. Just having the gun, is enough for these people to view you as an enemy of the state.
Besides living in a neighborhood where many have been killed, including several of my neighbors via home invasion. You can only imagine my shock at responding officers approaching me and rather than ask if I was ok, or something else you would ask a crime victim, the first question was, "why do you have a gun?" Never mind that little thing called the Second Amendment. I guess only the police are entitled to self defense and protecting their lives.
I suppose when you're black and live in the inner city, particularly a high crime area, the authorities would rather you just sit around and wait to be a statistic. Relying on calling 911 AFTER a crime has been committed ensures that at least a report will be written after you been killed. You hope.
