Got Arrested For Shooting My Tennis Ball Cannon (well almost

[rustlerdude987]

So i figured i would share my story with you guys today. so im 16 and Yesterday i was out with a couple of friends shooting my 6ft tennis ball cannon into our canyon. Now i have been shooting this thing for about 6 months now so it was nothing new i knew the laws in our town and knew it wasn't illegal. i live in San Diego mind you but it is a more suburban area with lots of open space. so back to the story, so i was shooting it and ran out of engine starter so i ran home real quick while my friends stayed with the cannon. when i came back there were three police cars lined up at the field i was shooting at. they already had my friends in cuffs and when i came they asked who i was and what i was doing, i told them i was the sole owner and builder of the cannon and told them my friends ( ages 7, 15, 16 and 19) were here just to watch. they then proceed to put me in cuffs and read me my rights. they then called over there bomb technician to look at my cannon. i told them exactly what it was and how to operate it and showed them all the safety precautions i had in place. they then told me after 10 minutes of talking with each other that is was charged with possession and use of a home made explosive device. they then called all our parents and told them to come immediately because we were in huge trouble. the good thing was one of the parents was an ex-EOD bomb tech in the marines. he talked to them and told them that he also helped watch over this project and made sure everything was safe. the police then called there Sargent over who just happens to live a block away and knew about this to whole thing already for like 4 months of hearing it being shot. he then told the other police that they were wasting there time and told me that all i had to do i cut it up and make sure it never happens again.

[Zeus]

Well, that's what you get for living in Commiefornia, heck, I've had the police out shooting one of my launchers once, and that's in Australia.

[rustlerdude987]

yeah it sucks i worked so hard on it and had it perfect and they just come and ruin everything lol

[jsefcik]

Make a new one but a hybrid andd if they come back nd say what you mad my gun has more power then yours lol

[rustlerdude987]

Make a new one but a hybrid andd if they come back nd say what you mad my gun has more power then yours lol

What??

[Solar]

Those cops are idiots. It would only be an explosive device if you capped both ends. In the future keep a copy of the ATF description of destructive deviced with you and tell them that you are designing a signaling device or line launcher.

[Essohbe]

Cops aren't your friends. If they can charge you with breathing wrong then they will.

Keep a copy of the ATF's "Orange book" with you so you can show them how stupid they really are.

[mark.f]

Cops aren't your friends. If they can charge you with breathing wrong then they will.

Right. I'm sure you're some sort of studied psychologist with years of on-hands research to proclaim such a disposition.





My friend had the cops show up while he was shooting his golfball cannon. After showing them that and their many AR-15's, their apparent reference to him and his residence is now a short aside of "Those guys have some sh*t."

[rustlerdude987]

yeah they told our parents that they were trying to set and example for us, i just thought to myself, yeah an example of how stupid cops can be. the thing that really pisses me off is this is on my record now.

[MrCrowley]

Wow, sounds like you were pretty lucky in the end. While this doesn't apply to this particular story, it is important to remember that while we may be right, being arrogant or having an attitude in these situations usually only makes it worse. It's probably best to try and sort things out at the station before they make the charges official as someone more level-headed might step in and let you off with a warning or you can get your parents lawyer to make a quick phone call (if the law is on your side).

What not to do
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[velocity3x]

yeah they told our parents that they were trying to set and example for us, i just thought to myself, yeah an example of how stupid cops can be. the thing that really pisses me off is this is on my record now.

Due to the bore size and propellant, I think ATF classifies your cannon as a destructive device. California is the most anti-gun state in the union. Did you really think your cannon would be OK in San Diego? Did you bother to check local, state and fed laws first?

[mark.f]

Due to the bore size and propellant, I think ATF classifies your cannon as a destructive device.

http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/viewtop ... 3324#13324

[jsefcik]

Make a new one but a hybrid andd if they come back nd say what you mad my gun has more power then yours lol

What??

What I mean is design a hybrid go back nd go back to that spot nd shoot it and when the cops come to bother you again , and say what your jealous my gun has more power then yours?

[wyz2285]

Make a new one but a hybrid andd if they come back nd say what you mad my gun has more power then yours lol

What??

What I mean is design a hybrid go back nd go back to that spot nd shoot it and when the cops come to bother you again , and say what your jealous my gun has more power then yours?

If you're serious, you must be one of the stupidest people I ever met on internet :s no offense, I just consider it extremely stupid to even to think to act like that.

[Doctore]

I am happy because there are no such laws in my country.Nobody here ever heard about spudguns