Man Gets Arrested For Shooting His PC

[Onikhaosifix]

PASSAIC TWP. -- A Gillette man was arrested at his home last Thursday night after he fired eight bullets at his home computer, according to police.

The man, Michael A. Case, 35, of 64 Summit Ave., was arrested shortly after 11 p.m., at his house, when police said they received a report that shots were fired. They arrived at the home to find a .44 Magnum automatic handgun and a shot-up IBM personal computer with a Princeton Graphics System monitor.

The monitor screen was blown out by the blasts and its inner workings were visible, Lt. Donald Van Tassel said on Monday. The computer, which had bullet holes in its hardware, was hit four times while four more bullet holes were found in various areas next to the computer, Van Tassel said.

"The only thing he (Case) said was that he was mad at his computer so he shot it," Van Tassel said.

The handgun, which the lieutenant identified as an Israeli Arms Desert Eagle .44, has "a lot of firepower," he said. "It's a big gun." Case used hollow-point, or dum-dum, bullets, he added.

Case was surprised when police arrested him because he didn't think he was breaking the law, Van Tassel said. "He couldn't understand why he couldn't shoot his own computer in his own home," Van Tassel said.

Case was charged with recklessly creating a risk and using a firearm against the property of another, because the house is reportedly owned by a relative. The walls were also damaged by the shots, according to police.

He was also charged with unlawful posession of a firearm without a permit, and with possession of illegal bullets, police said.

In addition, Case was issued to summonses, for discharging a weapon in a restricted area and for discharging a single-projectile weapon, police said.

Case spent early Friday morning in the Morris County Jail and was released later in the day on $2,500 bail, according to police.

A Municipal Court appearance is scheduled for today, Sept. 17.

[bignobody]

Who does he think he is? Elvis? :lol:

[CobraLionz]

Nosy neighbors... Most people don't even know what a gunshot sounds like. how are they gonna call the police?

[Onikhaosifix]

Nosy neighbors... Most people don't even know what a gunshot sounds like. how are they gonna call the police?

So I guess playing violent video games and watching movies isn't enough to know what a gunshot sounds like...

[.oisyn]

The only thing he (Case) said was that he was mad at his computer so he shot it

Great reason. That makes you wonder how he reacts when he's mad at another human being.

[pater]

Great reason. That makes you wonder how he reacts when he's mad at another human being.
They (the police) didn't say that, because that's hard to proove, but used some other, more obvious reason for taking him to jail. I mean, destroying the computer is not the problem as such, the real crime was that he owned a gun without permit together with illegal ammo. Where did this happen? In some countries, posession of firearms is on itself a crime!

[davepermen]

lets guess? USA? :D hy pater, btw.. another swiss dude :D

[pater]

lets guess? USA? :D hy pater, btw.. another swiss dude :D
Yup, I think so, too. But not exactly sure since I think it's legal to have arms in the US.
Lukily, that here, troubles with weapons are very rare, although the weapons/inhabitants ratio is most probably even higher than in the US :excl:

[.oisyn]

They (the police) didn't say that, because that's hard to proove, but used some other, more obvious reason for taking him to jail. I mean, destroying the computer is not the problem as such, the real crime was that he owned a gun without permit together with illegal ammo. Where did this happen? In some countries, posession of firearms is on itself a crime!

Maybe you misread the part where I said "it makes you wonder" ;)

[pater]

Maybe you misread the part where I said "it makes you wonder" ;)
Well, I woudn't like to try it out, at least on my part. :unsure:

[Mihail121]

I own an illegal kitchen knife, that can easily kill a human too. Does this mean I can't stab my PC with it?

[.oisyn]

Look, if you try to read between the lines, at least do it right. I didn't say anything about being allowed to stab PC's OR human beings, there is no such remark in my post.

My point was, Mihai121, would you stab your PC with the knife? And if so, why? And how does that help you? Your answers willl probably be "no" and "it doesn't", which makes you a totally different person than the one we're discussing here. Unless you're someone that sometimes experiences an uncontrolled rage, at which point you're not thinking clearly about what you're doing and what the consequences are. If you are in such a situation, it usually doesn't matter whether you're confronting your PC or your next-door neighbour.

A lot of people experience problems with computers and some of them slam the keyboard against the wall or something. Just like people hit other people when they're mad at them. But using a weapon for it is where you cross the line between a normal citizen and someone that is potentially harmful to him/herself or his environment.

[monjardin]

The 2nd ammendment in the US Bill of Rights gives us the "right to bear arms", but the Supreme Court doesn't seem to care about the Constitution anymore. Consequently, there are tons of gun laws. Hollow-point bullets are a big no-no in most states.
I don't even want to think about what a .44 would do to a person with that ammo. :o That's very scary for a guy with a temper like that to have. I don't blame them for throwing the book at him with every obscure technicality they can use. Now if he shot it with a regular old run of the mill .22, then I would vouch for letting him off. You can't tell me you all haven't been eraged at a Windows box before. :lol:

I'm a big advocate of the 2nd ammendment because of history. The two big surges of Democracy were in Ancient Greece because of the pike/sarissa, and in the West because of the musket/rifle. In other times armor and weapons were prohibitively expensive for the masses. Of course, I don't know many people these days that can afford a helicopter gunship...

Sorry about the rant...

[kariem2k]

Computer is a factory for the very successful software industry so this man has destroyed a factory :)

[Mihail121]

.oisyn: No, I have not experienced that kind of rage... yet but a great discrepancy hides in that specific case. They are not putting the man in jail for his temper but for an illegal ownage of guns that can "potentially" harm or kill anyone. But the law does not seem to care, that those things might save your ass out there in the real world. And the adjunct "normal" is by its existance very relative. Things that are "normal" for me and you might not be normal for other people. That's not the only example though, "good" and "bad" are other also words with quite relative meaning.

[davepermen]

Yup, I think so, too. But not exactly sure since I think it's legal to have arms in the US.
Lukily, that here, troubles with weapons are very rare, although the weapons/inhabitants ratio is most probably even higher than in the US :excl:

possibly because people here learn to how to NOT use it, too? not only how to use it for shooting anything that goes on your nerves (like pc, wife, neighbours cat, etc... :D)

[davepermen]

.oisyn: No, I have not experienced that kind of rage... yet but a great discrepancy hides in that specific case. They are not putting the man in jail for his temper but for an illegal ownage of guns that can "potentially" harm or kill anyone. But the law does not seem to care, that those things might save your ass out there in the real world. And the adjunct "normal" is by its existance very relative. Things that are "normal" for me and you might not be normal for other people. That's not the only example though, "good" and "bad" are other also words with quite relative meaning.

hm.. save your ass? i don't need to save my ass with guns here. thats what i call freedom. thats why i could be proud of switzerland. you just don't need to save your ass here all day long.

but this is a whole other topic.. us and their gun-politics. there's a movie about that from moore.. :D tells much on _why_ it works that way oversea, and why it sucks, too..

i'm 100% agains all sort of weapons, except for the fun of it (like in games, like in reallife games, etc..).

[.oisyn]

They are not putting the man in jail for his temper but for an illegal ownage of guns that can "potentially" harm or kill anyone
I'm not saying he should be put in jail because of what I think he might do, as he hasn't done it yet. And besides, putting him in jail isn't a good solution anyway. I merely mentioned as a sidenote that I find his behaviour disturbing, and that I rather not bump into him on the streets. Not that he should be punished for it.

But the law does not seem to care, that those things might save your ass out there in the real world
That depends on the part of the world you're living in my friend. I, for one, am against rights to carry fire-arms. The mistakes are too many (because of the easy access, people are more tempted to use it while in fact they shouldn't, even if it seems a good idea at the time) and the advantages too few. You say "it might save your ass", but it only does because the rest is running around with them as well. There are a lot more "friendly" devices out there to incapacitate someone without really hurting them (permanently), "it's for your own protection" is just a lame argument as it doesn't protect you in any way. If someone really wants to kill you, he'll manage whether you have a gun or not.

[Mihail121]

If someone really wants to kill you, he'll manage whether you have a gun or not.

Exactly my point. You can kill someone either with a gun or with a book, but books are not illegal.. And that,dear .oisyn, reveals how absurd our world or our law system really is!

1. Crimes are punished AFTER they're commited. In the case of killing the punishment won't revive the killed person. And no one and nothing can predict if crime is about to happen.

2. The punishments are practically useless. It's prooved that you cannot change a person.

3. The punishments such as taking the freedom for couple of years or killing the criminal are practically crimes too!

Do you still think we live in a normal world? :wallbash:

[davepermen]

still, a book is something different. a book is made for reading, and can get abused to kill.

a gun is made to kill. what else is its use? what is its primary use? killing. why should one allow people to buy things only invented for killing.

if you just want to hurt, you can buy something else.



oh, and, yes, i, here, live in a quite normal world :D

[.oisyn]

Exactly my point. You can kill someone either with a gun or with a book, but books are not illegal.. And that,dear .oisyn, reveals how absurd our world or our law system really is!

No, that reveals how you fail to see the difference between a book and a gun. A kid can't accidentally kill another kid with a book. If you are under attack by someone, you can knock that person over with a book without killing him. You could also simply point your gun and pull the trigger, and the chance of killing that person is a lot higher than with the book, even when your intention is only to defend yourself; not by necessarily killing the other person. That's why you shouldn't be allowed to carry a gun, while you should be allowed to carry a book.

And stop referring to "OUR law system", because the system is different in every country (and I'm glad to live in a country where you aren't allowed to carry fire-arms, but are allowed to carry books, and where people are able to talk normally about progressive things like abortion, euthenasia and drugs without referring to some holy book or belief)

1. Crimes are punished AFTER they're commited. In the case of killing the punishment won't revive the killed person. And no one and nothing can predict if crime is about to happen.

2. The punishments are practically useless. It's prooved that you cannot change a person.

3. The punishments such as taking the freedom for couple of years or killing the criminal are practically crimes too!

Do you still think we live in a normal world? :wallbash:
I'm sorry but I fail to see the point you're trying to make. Obviously you have the idea that I think putting everyone in jail is the solution, while I said in an earlier post that it isn't. So we're saying the same thing here.

[monjardin]

Wow, this thread has gotten intense. :o

The problem is that criminals are breaking the law anyway, so why would they care if a weapon is banned. Why should a law abiding citizen be at the mercy of a goon with a gun? The US obviously can't control illegal immigration or drug smuggling. So, how the hell are they going to keep thugs from getting guns?!? IIRC, most incidents of gun violence in the US involve an illegal firearms.

As the old adage goes: "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight." That applies to alternative methods: "Don't bring pepper-spray to a gun fight." ;)

However, I don't see a real need for handguns. I think we should all have assault rifles like they do in Switzerland. They are easier to track and difficult to conceal. Besides, the 2nd Ammendment was created for the purpose of supporting citizen militias for defense against tyranny (i.e. King George & Abraham Lincoln). That doesn't call for .44 automatic pistols with hollow-points.

[Onikhaosifix]

Punishment has been proven to work effectively. When little children are punished for every bad thing they do then become discipline and then grow up to become normal, civil adults.

If acts by these same children were to go unpunished then they will think it's okay and grow up to be bank robbers, murderers, rapist, etc.

Punishment is suppose to instill fear into the person who committed the crime so that the fear would eventually force them to do good later on in life. Sure not all people are changed by going to prison but punishment has a high probability of serving it's purpose and scaring the person into changing.

[davepermen]

punishment only works if it is done fair, and with a lot of explanation on _why_ you actually do it. this is shown with kids. if you don't, and just punish, they don't actually learn anything except "punishment is way to go, dude!" and continue with it.

[Onikhaosifix]

punishment only works if it is done fair, and with a lot of explanation on _why_ you actually do it. this is shown with kids. if you don't, and just punish, they don't actually learn anything except "punishment is way to go, dude!" and continue with it.


Hmm, I've grown up around a great deal of aggressive parents. The fear they instill in their children are so great that the child doesn't even care why what he did was wrong. They just don't want to get beaten with the belt again and cease doing the wrong things.

[Reedbeta]

Hmm, I've grown up around a great deal of aggressive parents. The fear they instill in their children are so great that the child doesn't even care why what he did was wrong. They just don't want to get beaten with the belt again and cease doing the wrong things.

That teaches kids to follow authority figures without ever thinking about whether what they are doing is right or wrong. It doesn't instill any kind of critical thinking about morals and social norms, just leads people to believe and do what their parent/boss/government/society tells them.

[Altair]

I guess this (http://www.killsometime.com/Video/video.asp?ID=404) is his kid ;)

Cheers, Altair

[.oisyn]

Lol, the end is hilarious.

A shame though they call it an xbox 360 while it is in fact a regular xbox he's playing on

[zavie]

Do what you want, but please take care not to hurt yourself while trying to kill you PC with your knife. :-)

[pater]

Do what you want, but please take care not to hurt yourself while trying to kill you PC with your knife. :-)
I wouldn't really mind about that... It's ones own fault, isn't it? I'd rather say to take care not to hurt others while trying to damage your pc. Like throwing it out of the window while someone passes beneath (and then passes into the beyond).