To paraphrase Winston Churchill, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning of the end of New York City’s draconian gun laws. If a New York City jury acquits a Florida landscaper of gun charges when he clearly violated the Bog Apple’s handgun regs, then there’s been a sea change. They have and there is. “Jonathan Ryan, 29, was busted Feb. 21, 2010, when cops pulled him over on the Upper East Side for making a right turn on red, which is illegal in the city,” newyorkdailynews.com reports. “Cops confiscated a black Sky [sic] .9 mm pistol from his glove compartment and charged him with criminal possession of a weapon. He faced a stiff sentence of three and a half years in prison if convicted.” But he wasn’t. And that means . . .
That there’s a big ass disconnect between New York City gun laws and . . . wait for it . . . common sense.
Cops and prosecutors said ignorance New York’s gun laws – Ryan was in the legal clear in Florida, where the gun was registered – was not a good defense.
A Manhattan jury apparently believed it was and found Ryan, who had no previous criminal record, not guilty.
Now what? The case sets a precedent. But even if that doesn’t hold up, you gotta wonder how long The City So Big They Had to Name It Twice can hang onto to its no-reciprocity regs.
Robert Farago is the Publisher and Managing Editor of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns.