T.I.'s ACTUAL REAL GUNS "OFFICIAL ATF VIDEO"

About This Video

• Added : 61 days ago |
• Views : 8 |
• Favorites : 0 |
• Links : 0
• Category : News
• Provider : http://youtube.com
• Description : This is the AUTHENTIC ATF Video sho...(more)t days after his arrests. The ATF made the guns available for viewing to a select chosen few. These are the actual guns involved in the case of Clifford Harris vs. The United States Federal Courts That was the proclamation from defense attorney Dwight Thomas, as he exited the Richard B. Russell Federal Courthouse in Atlanta on Friday, October 19, 2007, after U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman decreed that his client, multiplatinum rap superstar, Clifford "T.I." Harris would not be allowed any immediate release on bond. The rapper is facing federal weapons charges after he was arrested in a sting at a Midtown Atlanta parking lot, just hours before he was set to perform at the 2007 BET Awards. Authorities have alleged that Harris provided $12,000 to his bodyguard to buy weapons. Harris was convicted on felony drug charges in 1998 and, as such, is not allowed to own the weapons. Instead of performing at the event and being honored for his musical contributions; the superstar was booked and detained, with his car and College Park home being searched by federal authorities. At his home, six other guns, five of which were loaded, were found in his bedroom closet. T.I.'s longtime on-and-off girlfriend, Tamika "Tiny" Cottle (formerly of the girl-group Xscape) was also arrested for possession of marijuana and ecstasy pills. According to ATF documents, the investigation started after the rapper's bodyguard asked a gun dealer at The Gun Store about purchasing a machine gun without registering it — which is against the law. The dealer reported the incident to the ATF, who started an investigation and provided a fake cell phone number to an undercover agent posing as a gun dealer. On October 10, Harris called the bodyguard who was to pick up $12,000 to buy the weapons. The bodyguard then met with the undercover agent at a K-Mart in Doraville, Ga. T.I.'s bodyguard then gave the agent $2,200 and a .223-caliber pistol in exchange for three 9mm machine guns and two 9mm silencers; after which federal agents arrested the bodyguard. The bodyguard quickly revealed the purchases were for T.I. and that he had purchased approximately 25 firearms over the past 18 months on T.I.'s behalf. While the Second Amendment prohibits Congress or any other government agency from infringing on "the right of the people to keep and bear arms," the 1968 Gun Control Act that was proposed after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and passed swiftly after the assassinations of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Sen. Robert Kennedy.The act prohibited, among other things, the sale of firearms to convicted felons. The Legal Perspective Defense attorney Ed Garland spoke to reporters after the bond hearing on the 19th. "This judge has not made a decision," said Garland. "This matter is under consideration by the court and no one knows what the outcome is going to be." That cloud of uncertainty hangs over the entire case, with a lone rapper sitting in the center of the storm. Defense attorney Steve Sadow added, "[Harris] wants to move forward in this case. He would like to gain his release if we can meet the conditions the court imposes, and then we'll deal with the defense once we've gotten him out, if we're fortunate." Hip-Hoppers Offer Support ... and Advice The hip-hop community isn't unfamiliar with its biggest stars crossing paths with the law, but T.I.'s arrest has brought some sobering reality to artists who often find the line between loyalty and legality blurry, and who, oftentimes, face very real dangers because of past associations. "In a situation where you're very successful, famous and rich, it's important to keep good people around you and stay true to yourself and walk a righteous path," says Atlanta-based DJ Drama. "[T.I.] is my big homie. He's always done right by me every time I've been around him. I'm gonna hold him down to the end. It's not the first time someone has struggled and it's not something [he] can't overcome." (less)