Sheesh… I wonder what would have happened if the poor guy in this story was transporting the firearms in question as gifts for friends and relatives. I never knew that checking into a hotel with your firearms, which I personally would not leave in the rental car, would get you arrested. As the story plays out I will have to watch and see if the guy was a crazy person or just an average Joe who became a victim of circumstance. My bet is it was the latter.
Man arrested carrying weapons at Pelosi hotel
By P. SOLOMON BANDA Associated Press
Article Launched: 08/24/2008 12:47:18 PM PDT
DENVER—A Wyoming man remained jailed Sunday after trying to check into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s downtown Denver hotel while carrying two hunting rifles and two pistols.
Pelosi was briefly evacuated from the hotel on Saturday when 29-year-old Joseph Calanchini of Pinedale, Wyo., tried check in to the hotel, authorities said.
Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley said Calanchini faces a charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon after police officers at the Sheraton hotel noticed him carrying a rifle-type case while checking in. Wiley said he didn’t know if the weapons were loaded.
Pelosi and other guests were briefly evacuated from the hotel but were never in danger, Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said.
“The speaker was never in any danger and she appreciates the quick and professional response of the police,” Daly said.
Calanchini remained at Denver City Jail on Sunday on $10,000 bond, said Denver Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Steckman. Calanchini did not have a concealed weapons permit, said Lance Clem, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Safety.
Authorities said Calanchini was in town on business and had had the weapons worked on, including the mounting of site scopes, to prepare for an upcoming hunting trip.
