• Home
  • About
    • About Christopher di Armani
    • Disclosure Statement
    • Code of Ethics
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Gun Laws 101
  • FPO Violators
  • Store
  • Donate
  • Hire Me

Christopher di Armani.com

In Praise of Individual Rights and Freedoms

  • Top 25
  • Big Brother
    • Access To Information
    • Bureaucratic Incompetence
    • Bureaucrat’s Rule #1
    • Censorship
    • Feeding at the Government Trough
    • Lemonade Freedom
  • Common Sense
    • Expressions of Gratitude
    • Good Samaritans
    • Good Stuff
    • In Memoriam — Remembering our Heros
    • Life
    • Personal Responsibility
    • Politically Correct Madness
  • Courts
    • Abusive Prosecutions
    • Civil Forfeiture
    • Human Rights Tribunals
    • Judicial Corruption
    • Justice Denied
    • Justice System Abuses
    • Police Sentencing Double-Standards
    • Prosecutorial Misconduct
    • SLAPP Lawsuits
  • Crime
    • Abuse of Trust
    • Canadian Mass Murders
    • Firearm Prohibition Orders
    • Human Depravity
    • Immigration Issues
    • Racism
    • Restraining Orders
    • Sexual Predators
    • Violent Criminals
    • Wrongful Convictions
  • Guns
    • Concealed Carry
    • Dial 9-1-1 and Die
    • Firearms Act
    • Fun Gun Stuff
    • Gun Control
    • Gun-Free Zones
    • Gun Politics
    • Gun Registration
    • Negligent Discharges
    • Target Shooting Competitions
  • Islam
    • Canadian Islamic Disgraces
    • Islamic Terrorism
    • Radical Islam
    • Sharia Law
    • The Religion Of Peace
  • Police
    • Abuse of Police Authority
    • Filming Police
    • Great Police Officers
    • Officer Down
    • Police Brutality
    • Police Corruption
    • Police Misconduct
    • RCMP Accountability
    • RCMP Hall of Shame
    • Warrantless Searches
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Ethics in Politics
    • Political Antics
    • Political Corruption
    • Social Justice
    • Stupid Human Tricks
    • Union Bay Improvement District
  • Rights
    • Charter of Rights and Freedoms
    • Constitutional Violations
    • Freedom of Assembly
    • Freedom of Religion
    • Freedom of Speech
    • Property Rights
    • Privacy Rights
    • Self-Defense
    • Unreasonable Search and Seizure

Antonio Sampogna: Licenced Gun Owner’s Choices Baffle Lawyers and Judges Alike

Published February 27, 2020 by Christopher di Armani Filed Under: Common Sense, Gun Politics, Guns, Human Depravity


What makes a licenced gun owner, avid target shooter and hunter, decide selling guns to criminals is a good idea?

That’s the unanswered question remaining after Antonio Sampogna was, on February 14, 2020, sentenced to five years in prison for a series of gun crimes.

Sampogna was once a law-abiding man who, for reasons nobody understands, he chose to sell a gun and ammunition to a drug dealer, who then sold them to an undercover police officer.

When the Crown finished presenting its case, the defence chose to not present evidence at all. Instead, the defence lawyer joined with Crown counsel to make a surprising recommendation.

“Crown and defence counsel jointly invited me to convict Mr. Sampogna,” Justice Robert Goldstein wrote in his reasons for sentencing.

Backstory

In 2017, police were investigating Daniel Lazarus-Munnick for drug trafficking. Justice Goldstein described the events of that investigation that ended with Sampogna’s arrest.

“On September 1, 2017, Mr. Sampogna sold a firearm to Mr. Lazarus-Munnick. The firearm was a TNW ASR 9mm Luger semi-automatic rifle. Mr. Sampogna also transferred 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition. The firearm was a non-restricted firearm. Mr. Sampogna wore gloves when he handled the box with the firearm. Lazarus-Munnick immediately sold the firearm and ammunition to an undercover police officer.”

When police searched Sampogna’s home several months later, they seized a Browning 9mm pistol, an unregistered Smith & Wesson 44-40 revolver, a Ruger .22 pistol, a sawed-off Cooey .22 rifle, and an unregistered a Beretta 6.35mm pistol.

Unregistered modern handguns are illegal handguns in Canada, which means Antonio Sampogna probably went off the rails quite a while before his arrest.

Antonio Sampogna’s actions will now be used by anti-gun activists and politicians to tarnish all gun owners with the same brush. This is evidenced by a belief rampant on social media, one that raises the hackles of every law-abiding and licenced gun owner who reads it.

“Every gun owner is law abiding…until they are not.”

“Because every gun owner is a potential criminal. Everyone is law abiding until they’re not.”

How can we say licenced gun owner’s aren’t the problem when faced with such gross stupidity as that shown by Antonio Sampogna?

I honestly don’t know.

From the reasons for sentencing in R. v. Sampogna, 2020 ONSC 1024:

[24]  I find it aggravating that Mr. Sampogna is the holder of permits for lawful weapons.  He is a person who is plainly a gun enthusiast.  He enjoys hunting and other lawful sports.  It is aggravating because he plainly knows better.
In order to obtain a firearms licence a firearms owner is required to take a gun safety course.  Moreover, Mr. Sampogna wore gloves when he transferred the box containing the firearm to Lazarus-Munnick.  That showed that he understood the significance of fingerprints.  It also showed that he clearly understood the illegal nature of that act.
In other words, Mr. Sampogna should have known better.

Some criminal acts we can comprehend, even if we can’t fathom reaching such a point ourselves.

Take three relatively recent examples.

  • Meth addict Justin Shipowich bought guns legally and sold them to pay his drug debts.
  • Kevin Walid Sifeldeen’s gambling addiction had him believing that selling drugs and guns to cover his gambling debts was a good idea.
  • Drug addict and/or drug dealer (news reports are unclear) Misty Kohuch legally bought handguns and illegally sold them to criminals.

Moronic? Absolutely, but most of us comprehend the tragic consequences of addiction. We can never condone their actions, but at least we understand why they happened.

In Antonio Sampogna’s case, none of these reasons appear to exist.

While Justice Goldstein attempted to learn why Antonio Sampogna did what he did, since defence counsel refused to provide any evidence to the court, in the end he was left with little more than his own guesses.

[28]           Mr. Sampogna is something of a mystery, frankly.  He is 57 years old and has never been in trouble.  He sold a firearm when he owned a business that clearly provided for his needs in life.  It is difficult to conceive that he needed the money.  He has led an entirely pro-social life, having never been in trouble with the law.

He has worked consistently, operated his own lawful business, and been an integral part of his family.  He clearly has an affinity for guns, which is not a crime.  There is no evidence he has used his guns for anything other than lawful, regulated pursuits, such as hunting and target shooting.

I wish I could be reasonably certain that Mr. Sampogna’s possession of other illegal firearms would have not come to the attention of the authorities if it were not for the one act of trafficking.  Unfortunately, his one act of trafficking does not give me confidence that is the case.

I obviously cannot impose a sentence for something he might have done in the future, but neither can I ignore his possession of illegal firearms in his home.

At the end of the day, I do not need to resolve the question of Mr. Sampogna’s reasons for committing this crime, but it is puzzling. 

The question left to those of us who own firearms legally and do so without breaking the law is this: how do we make the case for legal ownership of firearms when human stupidity and human depravity will always result in bad things happening with guns?

Yes, these cases are the extreme minority but they happen, and proponents of gun bans are quick to point out Gamil Gharbi, Alexandre Bissonnette and Justin Bourque all purchased their guns legally before committing their atrocities.

Antonio Sampogna’s raises a few obvious questions.

  • How do we protect society from people who pass all the background checks and still go off the rails?
  • How do we prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining a Possession and Acquisition Licence in the first place?
  • Once a license is issued, how do we take away their guns when a public safety issue becomes evident but before they go on a shooting rampage while still respecting the rights of the millions of Canadians who are not now and never will be a threat to anyone?

These are hard questions with no easy answers, but those of us who value our liberty and our guns can’t ignore them.

In fact, I believe it’s incumbent upon us to find solutions palatable to all sides of this argument.

Will this be easy? Not for a moment, but we can’t play the “no more restrictions” card and expect to win this battle.

If we want to keep our guns and our liberty these are the questions we must answer.

Author

  • Christopher di Armani
    Christopher di Armani

    Christopher di Armani is a freedom-loving Amazon bestselling author and current events commentator from Lytton, BC, Canada, who strives to awaken the passion for liberty inside every human being.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Tags: Antonio Sampogna, illegal possession of firearms, Justice Robert Goldstein, Justin Shipowich, Kevin Walid Sifeldeen, licenced gun owner, straw purchase, straw purchasers

Did you find value in this article?

If you found this article useful or it contained valuable information and you want to thank me, the best way is to buy me a coffee or two.

1. Send an Interac eTransfer to author @ christopherdiarmani.net (remove spaces)

2. Send via PayPal using this link: https://www.paypal.me/ThatLibertyGuy

3. Use your credit card in my online store to support me with a one-time donation, a monthly recurring donation, or an annual donation. See these links for all the details about the thank-you gifts I offer my supporters.

Comments

  1. Joe says

    February 28, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    “a few obvious questions.”
    Q1. How do we protect society from people who pass all the background checks and still go off the rails?
    A1. Easy. Concealed carry. Nothing else will ever ‘protect society’ from first time offenders.
    Q2. How do we prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining a Possession and Acquisition Licence in the first place?
    A2. You don’t. And there is no need to as they will get a gun with or without a PAL. No one should not need a PAL in the first place. A ‘dangerous individual’ should not be running around free in society (without a PAL or magical Prohibition Order, neither of which prevent them from doing harm).
    Q3. Once a license is issued, how do we take away their guns when a public safety issue becomes evident but before they go on a shooting rampage while still respecting the rights of the millions of Canadians who are not now and never will be a threat to anyone?
    A3. You don’t. Freedom and liberty are more important than security theater. If the person is dangerous, taking away their PAL and guns is not helpful. Incarcerating them, if there is cause, is helpful. Allowing potential victims to defend themselves is also helpful

    Reply
  2. Jimbo says

    February 28, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    A crystal clear case of injust/unjust, politically convenient regulatory law. First question: – was defendant aware that the buyer was a drug dealer and if a PAL holder? Immediate re-sale?? – sounds like a set-up?? Wearing gloves?? Careful handling is common sense caution — Gun metal tarnishes easily .From description, one could readily assume that the defendant retained the unregistered and altered items for dismantling as parts or to “get them off the street”. We are talking about paper/regulatory infractions – not criminal activities. Possibilities, smoke and mirrors do not cut it. Very obvious the defendant had no ill intent. The only offense here is infraction of paper law. Defendant could be considered negligent but certainly not criminal. This case should most certainly have a publication ban and suspended sentence or probation only.. The three questions: Society cannot be protected by manipulative regulatory laws == criminal activities cannot be prevented by any kind of law – only enforcement – criminal activities punishable partly by enforced suspensions.Restrictions are suggestions but serve no purpose.. Thanks for the ear.

    Reply
  3. Tim Vanhecke says

    February 29, 2020 at 10:12 am

    Small error in the above fact that state.. Quote: Unregistered handguns are illegal handguns in Canada, which means Antonio Sampogna probably went off the rails quite a while before his arrest.

    The error is that a a n Antique Handgun does NOT require registering. In fact it is not considered a firearm, but it is just classified as a hand gun. A simple but true fact..

    Reply
    • Christopher di Armani says

      February 29, 2020 at 11:40 am

      Thanks Tim. None of Sampogna’s handguns were antiques.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to my commentaries

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Latest Tweets

Follow @ThatLibertyGuy

Christopher di Armani 🇨🇦 🇺🇸
@ThatLibertyGuy

  • New comment: Canadian Gun Laws: A Primer for People Who Don’t Know Much About Gun Laws christopherdiarmani.com/15213/guns/can…
    about 2 weeks ago
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • New comment: Blake Harvey’s Murder Proves We Don’t Value Children’s Lives christopherdiarmani.com/17398/police/g…
    about 2 weeks ago
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • New comment: All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing christopherdiarmani.com/8275/human-rig…
    about 2 weeks ago
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • New comment: Paul Rogan Passes: The End of an Era christopherdiarmani.com/18908/common-s…
    about 2 weeks ago
    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • New comment: RCMP Sergeant Douglas Smith appeals conditional discharge for illegal handgun christopherdiarmani.com/2439/police/ab…
    about 2 weeks ago
    Reply Retweet Favorite

Most Popular This Week

  • All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing
  • How did Live-Streaming Rape Become a ‘Thing’?
  • Dale Merle Nelson’s 1970 Murder Spree in Creston, British Columbia
  • Officer Down: LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos
  • Officer Down: North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper John Sumter Horton
  • Yvon Mercier: From RCMP Depot Trainer to Double-Murderer
  • Florida Police arrest a 12-year-old for farting. Have they lost their minds?

Most Popular This Month

  • All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing
  • Dale Merle Nelson’s 1970 Murder Spree in Creston, British Columbia
  • RCMP Sergeant Douglas Smith appeals conditional discharge for illegal handgun
  • How did Live-Streaming Rape Become a ‘Thing’?
  • Yvon Mercier: From RCMP Depot Trainer to Double-Murderer
  • Florida Police arrest a 12-year-old for farting. Have they lost their minds?
  • Officer Down: North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper John Sumter Horton

© 2004–2023 ChristopherDiArmani.com | All Rights Reserved

Close

Buy me a cup of coffee

A ridiculous amount of coffee was consumed in the process of writing these articles. If you enjoy my work, please buy me a coffee or two to keep me going!