From: [url] http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0207/politicalnews.html[/url]
[b][u]Rick Stanley convicted for civil disobedience.[/u]
Rick Stanley, the LP's candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado, has been convicted of illegally carrying a deadly weapon in violation of a Denver ordinance.
On May 16, a six-member jury returned a guilty verdict against Stanley after he was barred from using a Constitutional defense. District Judge Robert Patterson has set a sentencing hearing for July 25.
The 47-year-old Stanley faces a maximum penalty of a $999 fine and one year in jail.
"We knew exactly what was going to happen here," said Stanley. "It should be clear now that the Denver government has purposefully denied me my constitutional rights, and is acting like this is a police state."
Stanley had been arrested for openly carrying a gun at a Bill of Rights Day celebration in Denver in December 2001. He had notified Denver police in advance about his intent to violate the city ordinance.
Prior to his arrest, Stanley told a crowd of about 250 people that he wanted citizens to launch a peaceful "Second American Revolution."
"The Second Amendment does not say that people can apply for permission to keep and bear arms," he said at the time. "You -- not the government -- can decide what kind of gun you need, and when you need it, and how you want to carry it."
Stanley then stuck a gun into a holster on his belt, and was promptly charged with violating Denver Municipal Ordinance 38-117.5(b), which bars individuals from carrying guns in public.
The Denver businessman received the nomination of the Colorado LP at the state party convention in Leadville on May 18. He narrowly defeated challenger Steve D'Ippolito of Colorado Springs on the second ballot, 78-67.
Stanley said he plans to appeal the jury's verdict, and will fight the case all the way to federal court if necessary.
For more information, or to make a contribution, visit: www.stanley2002.org.[/b]
Don't bother with his website, the link isn't working.