‘Pawn Stars’ Cast Member Chumlee Arrested on Drugs, Weapon Charges

Hmm, I never thought of Chumlee as a bone thug. He seems so dopey on the show.

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/pawn-stars-cast-member-chumlee-arrested-drugs-weapon-010721158.html

 

We mustn't mistake reality TV for reality.

 

That show should've been cancelled 2-3 years ago. Every single episode is a repeat of all episodes that preceded it except with different stuff.

 

Wow. A pawn shop dealing in drugs and guns. I'm shocked.

If you're in an all-night pawn shop trying to hock a watch or a laptop, good things are not about to ensue.

 

He looks like a POS. Never watched the show, I think it was popular for a year or two...yeah Pawn Shop...paragons of virtue.

 

Now, now. In fairness, I'm sure that when the place started they were mainly focused on getting great watch deals for the middle of the night gambling addict who desperately needed to return to his "hot" table.

 

I lived in Las Vegas for many years. I know that guy.

 

I liked the show for awhile, I always learned something from the experts when they were brought in to examine an item.

However, it strayed way too far from its original intent for my taste. I really didn't/don't care about what Rick did for his bachelor party, or anything to do with Chumlee's personal life.

 

I agree.

I also will say that I knew, on some level, that the show was staged at the beginning. But it became much more obvious as time went on. In the beginning it wasn't uncommon to see one of the staff leave to do some research and then come back to discuss. Afterward, we're to believe that a group of self-educated pawnbrokers just happen to know every detail about obscure bits of history based upon a cursory glance at an item where such glance would offer no real insight.

I enjoyed the historical education. I enjoyed seeing some cool stuff. But they started playing up the "characters" more than the history.

 

And the plot thickens

I guess they found a lot more stuff than was originally reported.

Report shows what cops found at Chumlee's house besides guns, drugs

I found this interesting:

"Police soon concluded he was in violation of the law prohibiting possession of a gun by a user or addict of any controlled substance.

That gave the police probable cause to seize all the guns and drugs."

I wasn't aware the police could seize the guns of a substance user or addict. Does this also apply to the severe mentally ill? Or people with criminal records? If so, this seems reasonable. I am going to ask the following question from a position of ignorance. Is this considered an attack on the second amendment? In other words, is it seen as an effort to take peoples guns away?

 

I found this, it's a Federal thing

QUICK REFERENCE TO FEDERAL FIREARMS LAWS
I. POSSESSION OF A FIREARM OR AMMUNITION BY A PROHIBITED PERSON: 18 USC § 922(g) & (n). Punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. May receive minimum sentence of 15 years without parole if offender has three or more prior convictions for a felony crime of violence (e.g. burglary, robbery, assault, possession of offensive weapons) and/or drug trafficking felony. Elements A. Possession or receipt of a firearm or ammunition; B. By a subject who falls within one of the following categories: Felon - (Additionally, persons awaiting trial on felony charges are prohibited from receiving firearms.); Drug user or addict - (Often shown where paraphernalia seized, subject tests positive for drugs and/or subject claims drugs were possessed for personal use.); Alien - (Includes illegal aliens and aliens lawfully admitted under non-immigrant visas, i.e., those aliens not admitted for permanent residence. This provision does not prohibit aliens who lawfully possess a so-called “green card” from possessing guns or ammunition.); Is subject to a domestic restraining order - (The order must prohibit contact with an intimate partner, or child of the subject, and must have been issued only after a hearing of which the subject was notified and at which the subject had an opportunity to participate. The order must also find the subject poses a threat to the physical safety of the intimate partner or child or must prohibit the use, threatened use or attempted use of physical force.); Has a prior conviction for domestic assault - (Includes a prior conviction for any assault or threatened use of a deadly weapon against a present or former spouse or partner or child or guardian of any such person. The subject must have been entitled to a jury trial and been represented by counsel in the prior proceeding or be shown to have waived those rights.); Fugitive from justice - (Fled any state to avoid being prosecuted or to avoid testifying in any criminal proceeding.); or Dishonorably discharged from the military; AND C. The firearm or ammunition was transported across a state line at any time.

 

and then I found this. Apparently the Feds (ATF) consider people with medical marijuana cards to be addicts and as such can not legally own firearms.

ATF to Pot Smokers: No Guns for You, Dude - The Truth About Guns

I sprinted through the NRA website and noted that they have a number of articles about marijuana use as it relates to firearms ownership. I didn't bother to read them but their simple existence on the site suggests they have an interest, if not an official position.

 

Thanks for the information. Gun issues have never been a priority for me. I have always been more concerned about things some would call "kitchen table issues". I am not pot head or anything like that, but I find it odd that someone could comply with the law and get a medical marijuana card, then be at risk of getting in trouble for owning a gun.

For example, I know a guy that is dying from terminal cancer. He is in constant extreme pain. Traditional painkillers like morphine make him very sick and he throws up. He has tried several different painkillers to no avail. The only thing that works for him is legal medical marijuana. He is a gun owner. It just doesn't seem right that he should be excluded from owning a gun, or that he could be in trouble if the cops ever found out about it. I mean, where does it stop? Is a person who is prescribed Norco for back pain considered a drug addict? Doctors write scripts fort that stuff left and right. Maybe I am dense, and I know the law is the law, but this seems strange to me.

 

Weird.

For those who are unaware, dishonorable discharges are actually fairly difficult to come by. You can't get one for a minor infraction. The dreaded DD can only be handed down in a General Court Martial. So if your case is before a Special Court Martial (the crimes are comparable to misdemeanors) or your case is being disposed of in an Article 15 Non-judicial punishment (very common even for things like minor assaults, DUI/DWI etc) you would never score this kind of prohibition.

So what's interesting here is that a Dishonorable Discharge itself is only disqualifying if you transport the firearm or ammo across state lines. But, considering a conviction at a General Court Martial would be for a felony type of crime, one would have that that all dishonorably discharged service members were also convicted felons. Apparently, it isn't that clear.

 

Chumlee Arrest Report Reveals Potential Drug Distribution Operation

It seems like he had a good thing going on the pawn shop show. Why would he risk it?

Chumlee Arrest Report Reveals Potential Drug Distribution Operation - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com

 

I'm a bit of a guitar nut, so I loved the episodes where they had Mary Ford's Gibson SG-Les Paul, a Fender Stratocaster owned/played by Jimi Hendrix, and the original Mosrite prototype.

 

Because, like many people, too much is never enough.

 

I agree that it is probably staged. Kind of like that show about abandoned storage lockers.

 

This story is coming to you from the pages of People Magazine. Why? Because no one really cares.

Chumlee to Plead Guilty to Weapon and Drug Charges, Avoid Jail Time : People.com