A decorated Army and Navy veteran turned Boston firefighter, commended for bravery during the deadly 2017 North End fire, was arrested at his Massachusetts home after Milton police found him in possession of five unregistered assault rifles, five unregistered handguns, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, 76 magazines, four ballistic vests, and several tourniquets.
But this isn’t just any run-of-the-mill Massachusetts disregard of the Second Amendment, as the suspect also had his own 200-foot-long shooting range built out in a basement beneath the home, making this gigachad a pretty swell guy and gun owner of the week in my book.
Boston Fire Lieutenant Joshua Thompson, 38, faces over 40 charges, including possession of a large capacity firearm, improper storage of a large capacity firearm, violating an order to surrender his weapons, and a single count of trafficking 36 grams or more of methamphetamine. Okay, so there is a little more to the story. In June, he was hit with an order to turn over his firearms in compliance with a harassment prevention order; however, as of mid-July, three firearms said to be owned by Thompson were still unaccounted for.
On Monday, August 18, Thompson’s wife contacted authorities to obtain a restraining order on her husband, alleging that he had blown a leaf blower in her face and forced her to flush her wedding ring down the toilet, according to the Boston Herald. Thompson had previously been accused of slashing his own tires while his kids were in the car, pulling the wheel of the car while his wife was driving, sending threatening texts to his wife, and being physically violent with her, according to police reports.
But Peter Pasciucco, Thompson’s attorney, says Thompson is a protector with no history of violence.
“He’s the antithesis of a dangerous person… He’s a dedicated first responder… At no time in Mr. Thompson’s life has he ever been alleged to have used a firearm improperly, discharged a firearm improperly, or threatened another individual with a firearm,” Pasciucco told the Herald.
For those of you thinking there may be more to some of the allegations, we’re on the same wavelength. Also, a leaf blower? A lost ring? Do you see the pattern emerging? How is any of this supposed to be substantiated? Where is the evidence? Where are the arrests? But that’s the point when it comes to restraining orders, how they’re issued, and how they violate due process by demanding the removal of rights and property under threat of severe penalty without any finding that the individual is guilty of a crime.
Authorities served Thompson with the restraining order the next day at his home, along with a search warrant, which is how they discovered the underground shooting range and what was left of Thompson’s gun collection. The methamphetamine possession listed in the report seems to stem from one hundred tablets of Adderall found in the home, for which police are alleging Thompson had the intent to distribute based solely on the quantity. Peter Thompson, the suspect’s father and a prominent Braintree businessman, said at a hearing, however, that his son wasn’t dangerous and would benefit from treatment for mental health and addiction.
Thompson may also be on the hook for missing body armor, but even that charge seems more fleeting than bombshell-like. Apparently, Thompson’s department-issued “active shooter” armor that had been reported missing from his fire truck earlier this year was found amongst the firearms and gear.
“There was never any police investigation into the missing armor as far as anyone knows… Meanwhile, a truly unstable and unfit fire officer was stockpiling it at home,” according to a Boston Fire insider.
As a gunwriter and Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) who legally owns much of the same types of gear, I can tell you that it is easy to accidentally misplace a piece of equipment amongst similar gear and think you lost it.
But prosecutors are content to make Thompson out to be some boogeyman, regardless of whether or not he has any record of criminal misconduct, and Judge Francis Kenneally, who was called to Quincy from a different courthouse in the state because all the local judges knew Thompson or his wife’s families, ordered him held without bail until Dec. 19, determining him too dangerous to be released.
Based on what?
“The location of the firearms, ballistic vests, and tourniquets at multiple entry points is cause for concern beyond just improper storage. Mr. Thompson appears to be preparing himself for some type of conflict… His behavior is far outside that of a typical owner of firearms,” wrote a Milton police detective.
But who gave anyone the right to tell Thompson where and how he may bear arms in his own home, much less use it as a means to discredit or demonize him? I understand that people have varying levels of preparedness when it comes to protecting their homes and families, and that Thompson’s methods may seem extreme to some; however, consider the aerial images of his home from news reports. The fact that it seems like a rather large home might support the idea of having firearms located in multiple locations in case of emergency, not that this should need to be justified in America.
Thompson has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and he is scheduled to appear in court again on September 23.
What are the takeaways here? For starters, be careful who you marry or who you invite into the sanctity of your home and personal life. It’s essential to understand that abusing a restraining order for tactical advantage in a marriage dissolution while stripping someone of their Second Amendment rights without due process, a Democrat wet dream, is precisely why such laws exist. The system was designed this way to pander to women while giving them an incentive to destroy their own families for monetary gain. It was also designed to place men in a hole where their rights and property are taken away, and their lives are spent trying to dig their way out of indentured servitude to an ex-wife so she may enjoy the same quality of life without being married or having to work. Meanwhile, the guy is typically left working his tail off and giving much of it away every month to avoid serious .gov penalties. With regards to the idea that anything Thompson was doing by owning guns, ammunition, body armor, tourniquets, or even a private range in his basement, all I can say is leave Massachusetts, or any leftist dumpster fire state, with the nerve to think themselves still worthy of being called American.
Photos of the basement interior and confiscated equipment courtesy of Mass Daily News under the Fair Use Act.
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