District of Columbia resident Mark Witaschek, a businessman with no previous criminal record, is facing jail time after a spent shotgun shell was found in his house. His house was raided by police during the summer of 2012 following a claim that Witaschek was threatening his ex-wife with a firearm, but police were only able to find a spent shotgun shell and a box of antique bullets—no actual firearm. He is facing a hearing and is the first person to be charged with "unlawfull possession of ammunition."
The shotgun shell was purportedly a souvenir from a hunting trip. Shotgun shells and other spent ammunition casings pose no danger to anyone as they contain no live ammunition.
Witaschek appeared on Fox and Friends to discuss his lengthy court battle and his frustration with the numerous delays the court has imposed on his case. Today's hearing is his eighth court date, and he has yet to hear any justification by the government for the raid on his house.
The District of Columbia's gun laws are far too overreaching. Shotgun shells are not even remotely dangerous, and this case is a waste of everyone's time.