Re: conceal carry with reloads?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A search of the word "reloaded" within 3 words of the word "ammunition" in every federal and state case in Westlaw's database reveals 71 results. I've gone through all of them. Nearly all are either tort cases involving guns that blew up from reloaded ammunition, quotes from cases where a person actually "reloaded" a firearm during a crime, felons in possession of reloaded ammunition (quoting the statute against it), and a single murder case in which some scumbag shot his wife five times, called the police, and confessed that he shot his wife because, basically, she was annoying. One is an evidence case in which a Marine juror who had knowledge of reloaded ammunition that resulted in a mistrial for considering evidence outside of that presented at trial.
This search probably cost about $400 but it was free for me.
Until I see an actual blue book cite, published or unpublished, of a legitimate criminal trial in which a person asserts a self-defense claim but is found guilty anyway, and ammunition type is among the evidence, I'm calling BS on this one.
Once again, 71 cases, plenty of people suing commercial reloaders, suing Remington when their gun blew up after they filled a rifle case with pistol powder, the wrong powder, too much powder, etc., murders where people confessed or the ammunition was irrelevant to their conviction, etc.
Database includes all federal and state cases that are available on there, and there's none that offer any theory that reloaded ammo defeats a defendant's self-defense claim.
I'd say that myth is debunked, unless someone knows of a better way to research the issue.
BTW, many of these cases weren't even reported, cannot be "cited," etc. They're still available. And the claim that reloaded ammunition has played a part in a criminal trial where a defendant claims self defense appears as meritless as I thought before I ran the search.
I'm totally open to anyone with a better method of doing the search, but until someone either presents me with a method that produces an affirmative result, OR a blue book citation (I will be able to get the case, trust me), I'm calling bullshit on this one. </div></div>
Thanks for the research... It doesn't surprise me what you found out. The ONLY time that I can see it being an issue is if you were one of those people who like to talk and brag about how they load the deadliest ammo to kill bad guys on contact. I suppose if the prosecution could get ahold of a statement or witness that would testify that you are one of those people they might be able to use it against you, but if one doesn't talk about what they used, I don't think that anyone will notice or care. "I feared for my life" is all you need to say..