Gov. Christie Commutes the Sentence of Brian Aitken

[LFS]

Brian Aitken will be free by Christmas.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/1 ... es_se.html

Thanks to all who contacted the Governor's office to request that Brian Aitken go free.

[OakRidgeStars]

Excellent news!. Maybe common sense is not dead after all.

I can't think of a better Christmas present for Brian and his family.

[rromeo]

So the conviction stands? That sucks, but at least he's out.
Hopefully there is still a possibility for appeal.

[Sotiris]

Here's a copy of the email that I received:

Office of the Governor

Office of Constituent Relations

Post Office Box 001

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0001



GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE ELECTRONIC RESPONSE





Please see below the signed commutation order for Brian Aitken, signed by Governor Christie at 4:30 pm today.



ORDER FOR COMMUTATION OF SENTENCE



WHEREAS, Brian D. Aitken was convicted of Possession of Dum-Dum

Bullets in the Fourth Degree in violation of N.J.S.A 2C:39-3(f)(l), Possession of

Large Capacity Ammunition Magazine in the Fourth Degree in violation of

N.J.S.A 2C:39-3(j), and Unlawful Possession of a Handgun in the Second

Degree in violation of N.J.S.A 2C:39-5(b) in the Superior Court, Law Division

(Criminal), Burlington County, New Jersey, and was sentenced on August 27,

2010 under Indictment No. 09-03-00217-1 to a seven-year term of imprisonment

with a three-year mandatory minimum; and



WHEREAS, the said Brian D. Aitken, caused to be made a written

application to the Governor for a Commutation of Sentence for the aforesaid

crimes of which he was convicted, and the State Parole Board, upon request of

the Governor in accordance with the law, has made an investigation of the facts

and circumstances concerning said application for a Commutation of Sentence;



NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHRIS CHRISTIE, Governor of the State of New

Jersey by virtue of the authority conferred upon me by the Constitution of New

Jersey and the statutes of this State, do hereby grant to the said Brian D. Aitken,

a commutation of the aforesaid sentence to time sewed, and satisfied on

December 20,2010.



IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, that Brian D. Aitken's release from the

custody of the New Jersey Department of Corrections be effected as soon as

administratively possible, or within a reasonable period to allow for release

processing pursuant to customary policy and procedure. ,



This Order is subject to revocation at any time, at the discretion of the

Governor, without notice.




Privacy Notice: This e-mail address, e-mail message, and any attachment to this email message contains information that is privileged and confidential from the State of New Jersey, Office of the Governor.

[zephyp]

That is one blessed dude. I hope it doesnt screw his life up.

[VBshooter]

I agree there,,, It would be nice to know just how much our write in camapign had *(if any) on Gov Christies' decision??.. I gotta wonder to if his release involves a no suing the state condition to it?? Either way the guy is one lucky man that it went this way for him!!!!!!!

[rromeo]

That is one blessed dude. I hope it doesnt screw his life up.

He still has two felony convictions on his record.

[gunderwood]

That is one blessed dude. I hope it doesnt screw his life up.

He still has two felony convictions on his record.

IIRC, commuting the sentence doesn't change the fact that he is a convicted felon. Thus, he can never own guns again.

[FatAndy]

That is one blessed dude. I hope it doesnt screw his life up.

He still has two felony convictions on his record.

IIRC, commuting the sentence doesn't change the fact that he is a convicted felon. Thus, he can never own guns again.

But at least he doesn't have to rot in prison with actual criminals while awaiting appeal. Obviously, a full pardon would be better, but prisoners living under tyrannical governments will probably take what they can get!

[CowboyT]

My understanding is that New Jersey law doesn't allow you to sue for wrongful imprisonment, so that legal cesspool of a state probably has that provision for convictions, too. Gov. Christie should've just pardoned this guy. He does not deserve to have felony convictions on his record! And I won't even say what I think of that judge...this is a family-friendly forum, after all.

[VBshooter]

Ahhh,,Go Ahead,Ya know ya want to.... Judges ,far too often ,think they can walk on water and should be held in the highest traditions of respect and honor>>> BULLSHI?!!!!!!!!! Far too many are crooked politically connected ass's that should be in jail themslves../ Ask one and they;ll tell ya just how important they are.. As of late we have all seen what kind of damages these idiots can do in just one simple decision that if the parties involved had any brains it would never had gotten in front of one... AHHH!! ,,,,Better,,,,Now!!

[LFS]

A thank you message from Brian Aitken:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/free-bria ... 7568354336

[allingeneral]

Congratulations to Brian and his family! I'm very proud of Governor Christie, and I hope that Brian will be able to put his life back together and put all of this behind him soon.

Here's what the NRA had to say about it:

Fairfax, Va. –The National Rifle Association praised New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for commuting the prison sentence of Brian Aitken—a gun owner who was arrested, convicted and imprisoned for illegal possession of firearms, even though he had made every effort to comply with New Jersey’s restrictive and confusing laws. The NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund supported Mr. Aitken’s case.

“On behalf of the 4 million members of the National Rifle Association of America, I would like to thank Governor Christie for freeing Brian Aitken in time to spend the holiday with his family,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action.

Mr. Aitken was convicted last year of illegal possession of firearms, following a trial in which the judge refused to let the jury hear about exceptions in the law that allow possession of firearms without a license, while moving to a new residence. Mr. Aitken was sentenced to a seven-year prison term even though he had lawfully purchased and owned the firearms.

“While Governor Christie’s grant of clemency was absolutely the right thing to do, Brian Aitken’s case is just one example of how New Jersey's ridiculous gun laws turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals,” added Cox. “There is a serious need to reform New Jersey’s gun laws so that the full weight of the state’s law enforcement and legal system falls squarely on the shoulders of criminals, not on people like Brian Aitken.”


-NRA-

[Jakeiscrazy]

Dum-Dum Bullets

I had to Google that one. Never heard hollow point called such a silly name. I certainly wouldn't expect it in a law!

[allingeneral]

Dum-Dum Bullets

I had to Google that one. Never heard hollow point called such a silly name. I certainly wouldn't expect it in a law!

Interesting. I was too caught up in replying and posting, but the Dum-DUm thing did catch my eye on the first read...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanding_bullet
Expanding bullets were given the name Dum-dum, or dumdum, after an early British example produced in the Dum Dum Arsenal, near Calcutta, India by Captain Neville Bertie-Clay.


http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/dumdum.htm

[gunderwood]

Dum-Dum Bullets

I had to Google that one. Never heard hollow point called such a silly name. I certainly wouldn't expect it in a law!

Interesting. I was too caught up in replying and posting, but the Dum-DUm thing did catch my eye on the first read...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanding_bullet
Expanding bullets were given the name Dum-dum, or dumdum, after an early British example produced in the Dum Dum Arsenal, near Calcutta, India by Captain Neville Bertie-Clay.


http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/dumdum.htm

So what you are saying is that hollow points made anywhere besides the Dum Dum Arsenal near Calcutta, India are not Dum Dum bullets...

[allingeneral]

Well - I guess it's akin to calling a Cola flavored soda a "Coke".

The fact that the term "Dum-Dum" is used in a real law kinda twists my mind a little bit. Is it like that just to confuse people? Why not just say "Hollow-point bullets"?

[Diomed]

The fact that the term "Dum-Dum" is used in a real law kinda twists my mind a little bit. Is it like that just to confuse people? Why not just say "Hollow-point bullets"?

Weapons laws - especially at the state level - demonstrate the education level of the drafters. Stuff like calling short-barreled weapons "sawed-off" or "sawn-off", or calling stun guns "machineguns", is just the tip of the iceberg; it gets really bizarre with the Asian martial arts devices.

[gunderwood]

The fact that the term "Dum-Dum" is used in a real law kinda twists my mind a little bit. Is it like that just to confuse people? Why not just say "Hollow-point bullets"?

Weapons laws - especially at the state level - demonstrate the education level of the drafters. Stuff like calling short-barreled weapons "sawed-off" or "sawn-off", or calling stun guns "machineguns", is just the tip of the iceberg; it gets really bizarre with the Asian martial arts devices.

+1

Far too often the ignorant are drafting the laws or pushing for a new law.

[rromeo]

The fact that the term "Dum-Dum" is used in a real law kinda twists my mind a little bit. Is it like that just to confuse people? Why not just say "Hollow-point bullets"?

Weapons laws - especially at the state level - demonstrate the education level of the drafters. Stuff like calling short-barreled weapons "sawed-off" or "sawn-off", or calling stun guns "machineguns", is just the tip of the iceberg; it gets really bizarre with the Asian martial arts devices.

Or everybody's favorite, "the shoulder thing that goes up."