[Hoot Gibson]

The UK, whose common law legal system stongly influenced our own system of laws, has been following an absurd path that would have shocked even George Orwell. This latest story from across the pond is an illustration of the absurdity of passing zero-tolerance laws and restricting the ability of judges and juries to exercise common sense in meting out justice.

[INDENT]Ex-soldier faces jail for handing in gun

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 10:30A former soldier who handed a discarded shotgun in to police faces at least five years imprisonment for "doing his duty".

Paul Clarke, 27, was found guilty of possessing a firearm at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday – after finding the gun and handing it personally to police officers on March 20 this year.

The jury took 20 minutes to make its conviction, and Mr Clarke now faces a minimum of five year's imprisonment for handing in the weapon.
In a statement read out in court, Mr Clarke said: "I didn't think for one moment I would be arrested.

"I thought it was my duty to hand it in and get it off the streets."[/INDENT]

Could it happen here? I think so - in fact I think it is all but inevitable that it will happen here. We are on the same slippery slope as the UK but there is still time to stop the slide.