A felony gun charge against a Port Elizabeth, NJ, resident arrested by police last November for possessing an unloaded 300-year-old handgun has been dismissed by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae announced in a press release that the state will exercise “prosecutorial discretion to dismiss” the second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon charge against Gordon N. Van Gilder.
“Accordingly, the public should be forewarned about the prescriptions against possessing a firearm — even an antique — in a vehicle,” she continued.
The defendant, 72-year-old history buff Van Gilder faced a possible 10-year prison sentence under Garden State law. His attorney, Evan Nappen, said he was delighted to hear charges were dropped.
