Re: Law Availability
Without a searchable database, it's actually quite hard to answer the question "is there any statute which makes it illegal to do X, Y and Z?"
It's much easier to ask if carrying a firearm in your car without a license is illegal under Title 18, Section 6106. Just read the section, check the annotations for any interpretations, apply the facts. Takes under an hour.
But let's say you find somebody with a machinegun, and you want to know if it's legal. You can scour the entire UFA and not find "machineguns" mentioned. It's not until you come across the "Prohibited Offensive Weapons" statute that you find the state prohibition, with the exception. If you don't know it's there, it will take a LONG time to find it, and you'll have to keep searching to see if MG's are mentioned anywhere else.
I don't blame cops for being uncertain about the laws. I do blame any cop who is unsure of the law but uses the power and force of the State to compel a citizen to obey his arbitrary commands. I also blame any cop, full-time or part-time, who has not bothered to learn the rules for search & seizure, because these will come up a lot.
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