Charges Against Civil War Reenactor Dismissed

[MomKelly]

Re: Charges Against Civil War Reenactor Dismissed

good point and good choice.

we also teach to not use muskets for live fire and reenactments.

Because, a friend of ours and member of our unit used to live fire his musket once in a while. until the day he found a ring left from a mini ball left behind.. when discovered it was no longer at the breech.. it was part way down the barrel.. and he turned white as a sheet!! and has never live fired his weapon again.. that ended right there.

and when others mention live firing.. he brings it up.. it was a lesson well learned.. for our entire unit.

again good point and good choice!

[guad42]

Re: Charges Against Civil War Reenactor Dismissed

This may sound like a dumb question, so please forgive me. But, how many people really keep live-loaded BP revolvers or extra cylinders around anyway?

And how many people keep blank loaded revolvers or extra cylinders handy for long periods of time?

I guess I just do not understand how this accident could occur, and why anyone would keep such an unreliable weapon "hot" as a standard operating proceedure anyways, leading to some, tragic confusion.

-Sam Dolan
First Texas Inf.

[OldKingCrow]

Re: Charges Against Civil War Reenactor Dismissed

:

Silva's contention that he did not know the gun was loaded is easily disproven.

Craig, come on .....you can put forth your hypothesis and as probable though it may sound it doesnt automatically easily disapprove the man's knowledge. Law enforcement, prosecutor and judge did not find sufficient evidence of wanton or criminal intent

It is not outside the realm of probability that revolver had been live fired at some point and had a misfire or blocked firing channel / cone for whatever reason some unknown time ago; that misfire long forgotten and left in place from the lack of the proper ball pulling tool and later in the future a fresh powerful cap made it go BANG!!!!.

The failure, the idiocy of the owner notwithstanding, lies in the hierarchy of experienced cadre relied upon to insure safe weapons prior to an event at the unit /Co level and certainly in this case the weapons experts performing inspections prior to a bona fide SAG shoot

instead of......


some nefarious Lost Cause revenge plot by a post-modern CS sympathizer...a plot which was so bundled by law enforcement, the state prosecutors office and an elected judge who found no criminal intent but Craig Barry, crack reenacting investigative reporter as the inside scoop on uncovering. At least you dropped the secret SCV agenda this time Craig.

Stick with the muskets man and let the grassy knoll theories die buddy.

[guad42]

Re: Charges Against Civil War Reenactor Dismissed

The article states that the wounded man was helping producers on a series about the Overland Campaign.

Helping producers...

As some of you know, I am a television producer and writer. I mostly work on History Channel programs, and I've often had the opportunity to hire reenactors, many of them friends, to help out and appear in shows about WWII, the Civil War, and the American West. There has been a lot of gunplay along the way, and I'm happy to say that so far nobody's been hurt.

Why?

Because even on shoots where I have employed said reenactors, many of whom have provided their own weapons, I have almost never allowed those same people to fire their own blanks. There has always been an armorer or at least among the reenactors a safety officer(s) designated to inspect all weapons and insure their safety.

I am not sure what my "collegues" were producing, but by assuming that you can just call any and all reenactors around to participate in some shoot/event and expect them to provide their own ammo and common sense, is I am afraid professional lunacy.

Not something I would have done, no matter how much I might trust those involved.

-Sam Dolan

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Charges Against Civil War Reenactor Dismissed

You are being ridiculous CJ banjo boy, you can't both load your revolver and at the same time claim you did not know it was loaded. You could say you forgot it was loaded, but that's not the same thing. Unless it loaded itself then he loaded it, he knew it was loaded and just to put a big exclamation point on the whole thing, his actions support that he knew (by taking off as soon as police arrived). You can give somebody benefit of the doubt, but there has to be some doubt to begin with. Have you spoken to the guy who got shot? Any of the witnesses? Do that and spend some time listening to what they saw happen, then see if you can figure it out beyond any reasonable doubt.

The intent to harm couldn't be any more obvious unless Silva had gotten into his truck, yelled "Sic Semper Tyrannis" and ran the guy he shot over as he skedaddled.

[OldKingCrow]

Re: Charges Against Civil War Reenactor Dismissed

Have you spoken to the guy who got shot? Any of the witnesses? Do that and spend some time listening to what they saw happen, then see if you can figure it out beyond any reasonable doubt.

The intent to harm couldn't be any more obvious unless Silva had gotten into his truck, yelled "Sic Semper Tyrannis" and ran the guy he shot over as he skedaddled.

Oh so you are back espousing your Lost Cause revenge plot ? That is funny. But not quite as funny as your contention that you, armed with your ACME Junior Detective Kit have uncovered an evil plot that law enforcement, District Attorney and Judge were just too incompetent to catch.

So to expand on your logic, this Silva was such a radical rabid Neo-Confederate he attempted murder as the best way enact revenge and make a statement by secretly loading his BP gun and then covertly firing at a Civil War movie shoot and then running to hide ?