Idiot DFG!

[Casual_Shooter]

What "lesson" will be taught here?

Who will lose their job, or face any sanction whatsoever?

Where did I say someone would lose their job? The "lesson" to be taught is what rules they need to follow and what laws they need to know before they steal someone's firearm.

[stphnman20]

Glad to hear you got your guns back man!

[CavTrooper]

We need the location of the contact, the name of the DFG Officer in question and the office he works out of. Without that information, you are placing others in jepordy of the same situation happening to them.

and frankly, to verify that this did in fact happen.

[mif_slim]

^ Im not releasing it until after I speak to CGF.

[CavTrooper]

^ Im not releasing it until after I speak to CGF.

Im anxiously awaiting.

Ive had contact with several DFG officals while hunting with both BB ARs and RAWs and never had any issues, so Im curious as to what happended with your situation.

[Cokebottle]

There is a registration for AW in CA tho, and that is what the DFG officer was searching for.

Exactly.

Had the rifle been Vol-Reg'd, the serial number would have returned the registered owner's information.
He may have assumed that it was a legally registered AW, or he may have assumed that, since it's registered, the DOJ knows about it and it's not an AW.

It's like when cops run serial numbers on long guns to see if they are registered or stolen, and a 10/22 comes back as a stolen Colt 38.

[stitchnicklas]

AR biometric scanners on the trigger that when a unwanted person handles the gun a skunk spray hit them....

[rg_1111@yahoo.com]

Glad you got your rifle back.

[straykiller]

wow man glad you got your gear and you should press charges and make the officer pay hell for what he did, maby then he will learn and not do it to the next guy, some LEO's are like kids they never learn till they get a spanking for being bad lol

[Vtec44]

Bad move..DFG (Game Warden) has more power than any regular LEO anyway. Besy not to put up a fight with them. You did the right thing by giving it up without a confrontation, since that would ultimatley be used against you when you go to get it back. If the gun is legal as you stated and you were not shooting it or possessing it in any areas that were posted as being forbidden areas then you should get it back.

Did you have a hunting license? They may have you on a hunting without a license technicality depending where you were.

Good luck!

OP already got his rifle back.

[cannon]

Glad you got your rifle back.

File a formal complaint against the Officer. Management will have to investigate and possibly render some sort of formal reprimand or discipline. This will spread quickly through the rank and file.

Also file a claim with the agency for the expenses incurred picking up your rifle. They will deny the claim which then allows you to sue in small claims court. This will have an effect at the upper administrative level.

[Spyder]

Hold on folks... You're all up in arms because the OP had his rifle returned the day after, with no other ill effects? Yea, it should not have been seized in the first place, if it was a legally configured legally owned and possessed AR-pattern rifle. We all agree on that. But for craps sake, a mistake was fixed, in VERY short order, and you still want to hang the guy out to dry? Take into consideration the fact that each and EVERY one of you has made mistakes too. I know I sure as heck have. You think this officer doesn't now know a whole heckuva lot more about OLL and ARs and such? I bet he does. The OP didn't get tossed in jail, didn't have to pay for a lawyer to regain his personal legally owned property, and the officer now knows what is allowed.

Yea, if the rifle was legally configured, it shouldn't have happened in the first place. BUT, it was quickly remedied and an officer was educated. Sucks that it had to happen that way, and that the OP was temporarily deprived of his firearm, but it sure appears to be an honest mistake that was quickly fixed. No point in calling for the officer to be fired or otherwise destroy his life. I do think that the OP should be reimbursed for his time and costs incurred to recover the rifle. Who knows if that will happen. I don't think that mistakes are inforgiveable. There's a huge difference between maliciously seizing someones property because the officer wants to, and seizing an item that an officer mistakenly believes is part of or connected to a crime. It can't be easy, or even possible, to know every nuance of every bound book of laws and codes and regulations out there. No freaking way. I bet we all break laws every day that we don't know exist. And I bet if you got cited for something that you had been doing every day for twenty years you would freak out about it and say the cop was out to get you because you didn't even know it was a law. He made a mistake. Demand that everyone in his squad or county or whatever goes through a 2 hour firearms laws training course so that it doesn't happen again. That would be a whole heckuva lot more effective than stringing him up as some "example" and furthering the "us vs. them" mentality that is so prevalent out there.

One thing I really do wish is that more LEO around the state realized that long guns don't have to be registered. I've had that turn into an issue two or three times.

[1lostinspace]

UPDATE:

As of 1:56PM I got my gun back. I was hunting with it. The rangers took it because they thought it was a AW and wrote me a citation for 12280. I told them I was clear from AW because I have a Bullet Button on it making it a non-detachable magazine. He went to check if it was registered as a AW and couldnt find it so he said it was AW. I went to the shop I purchased it from and got a purchase record and faxed it to DFG. He called back saying he was mistaken and I can pick it up. So I did.
When I got there he said he didnt realize it had a BB, I told him that I pointed that out first before he confiscated it, but he seized to hear me out.

The question now is, should we press charge? Im thinking about it. I drove 10 hour round trip because his negligence!

PS: Its not illegal to hunt with a AR. thats just FUD.

PSS: How can I forget, I am SO SORRY, the frustration just got me all raddeled! THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

You have to press charges one of us could be next! You have to make an example of this idiot. Just because you got your gun back does not mean we would! You have to pursue this, I would for you and every other Californian out here.

[Snapping Twig]

I applaud the swift return of the rifle.

That said, potentates must be neutralized and the Law, which is a TWO SIDED CONTRACT, must be honored by both sides - not just us.

Without a penalty, there is no learning and the authorities must learn in order to honor the contract.

They are humans like us and a little bit of running scared & looking over their shoulders like we have to will go a long way to make them think before acting like tyrants by default.

[Rick Cain]

I dont believe qualified immunity would cover the officer in this case. Due to McDonald gun rights cases have civil rights protections.

Qualified immunity doesnt protect government officials from civil rights violations.