[meteorite-list] Lorton Meteorite

[Phil Whitmer]

When you acquire clear title to a piece of property, you 
also get landowners rights.  These rights are written into 
the state constitutions or the bill of rights.  You own
everything above, below and on your land.  Once a 
meteorite enters your air space, you own it. Anyone 
who tries to take it can be charged with theft, here in 
Indiana, felony theft.  If I was the landowner in the 
Lorton case, I would file felony theft charges against
whoever stole my property. 

Since there are no specific laws pertaining to meteorites,
the courts would decide the cases by legal precedent.
This was all worked out by the time of the  Hodges
meteorite case in 1954. 

If you think the landowners rights are unconstitutional,
and you want to defy precedent, lots of luck to you
and your lawyers, as you sue for ownership of someone
else's property.  There's no way these rules are changing
anytime soon, especially not for meteorites. 

Phil Whitmer



I am an uninformed reader but, where can I find these 
"Meteorite Laws"? I usually only carry a copy of the 
Federal Regulations Title 43 Part 8360, that allows me 
to remove mineral specimens from public lands, should 
I run into an agent who is not familiar with the law. 
But, I am not familiar with "Meteorite Laws". I know 
that Michelle Knapps had no trouble claiming and selling 
the Peekskill meteorite. 
Just need to know where to find these said new laws.. 
Thanks! Miss seeing everyone in Tucson. Had to have 
a Knee tune up after tromping around Egypt. 
Dennis