[Rhodes22-list] Flare guns & state law

[Bill Effros]

I carry a small kite with a long orange tail that says HELP!  HELP!  
HELP! all the way down.  I figure, in a storm, that kite will still be 
flying long after the last flare is scattered to the wind.

Bill Effros

Philip wrote:
>  Robert,     You can contact the NRA, they have an 800 number (you can find it on-line or if you know a member they may have a monthly magazine with the number).  Their information is usually up to date and focuses on these types of questions.  If they don't, you may alert them to a new need ;' ). Philip--- On Tue 04/25, Robert Skinner < robert at squirrelhaven.com > wrote:From: Robert Skinner [mailto: robert at squirrelhaven.com]To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.orgDate: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 19:45:07 -0400Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Flare guns & state lawFlare guns & state lawThe latest USCG pamphlet "federal Requirements & Safety Tips For Recreational Boats" on page 15 has the following statement: "Pistol launched ... flares ... have many characteristics of a firearm ... In some states they are considered a firearm and prohibited from use."I have been blissfully carrying a 12 guage flare pistol and flare shells for years. IMHO, 12 guage parachute flares are the most effective
>   
> distress signal available,and I can carry a lot in a small space.After seeing the above warning, I searched the 'net for references and got fragmentary results - no collected or unified infomation addressing this issue. I did find several fragmentary references indicating that lower and appellate courts in Virginia held that a flare pistol was a firearm. VA supreme court said it wasn't -- some years later.At least one New York court decided that a flare pistol was a concealable weapon, and therefore illegal.I plan to be sailing Lake Champlain and the Hudson, and hope to be on the Chesapeake again before I can't sail any more. I need to know what the true state of the lawis in each state from Norfolk to Maine.Does anyone know of such a compendium?-- Robert Skinner__________________________________________________Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>