'Beware of New Jersey': 72-Year-Old Man Facing 10 Years in Prison Over a Gun — but Not Just Any Gun

He had an unloaded antique 300-year-old flintlock pistol in his glove compartment, and he told a sheriff's deputy about it.

That was his undoing.

Gordon van Gilder admits he may have run afoul of the law — but, "as a wise man once said, if that's the law, the law is an ass."

Gordon van Gilder (Image source: YouTube)

The retired teacher is facing a possible 10 years in prison — and the jeopardization of his pension — all because New Jersey state law classifies antique firearms the same way it classifies regular guns, meaning the state views van Gilder's possession of an antique on par with him possessing a .44 Magnum.

The day after van Gilder told a deputy during a routine traffic stop about his antique gun, four law enforcement officers showed up at his house to arrest him.

Image source: YouTube

Van Gilder said he's fighting the felony gun possession charges, but the whole experience has soured his impression of the Garden State.

"Beware of New Jersey," he told the National Rifle Association. "Don't come here. Don't live here."

Watch van Gilder's story below:

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