Ignorance Lands Marine In Jail

[MA-Caver]

A U.S. Marine unknowingly violates a NY gun law and faces 15 years in prison.

Ryan Jerome was enjoying his first trip to New York City on business when the former Marine Corps gunner walked up to a security officer at the Empire State Building and asked where he should check his gun.

That was when Jerome’s nightmare began. The security officer called police and Jerome spent the next two days in jail.
The 28-year-old with no criminal history now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three and a half years in prison. If convicted, his sentence could be as high as fifteen years.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/03/m...-unknowingly-violating-gun-law/#ixzz1iPhtYQLp
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They say ignorance of the law is no excuse. Granted CWP folks might do well to study the laws in other states, particularly those they plan to visit, before going to visit to prevent any *ahem* misunderstandings.
This is still a bit much. 15 years? A young man's life is going to be ruined because of the lack of common sense. I agree strongly with responsible gun-ownership and use but the laws should have a hefty dallop of common sense in them.
If the guy has no priors and is a licensed carrier then arguably he's not a real threat. Granted just because he's a marine, a U.S. soldier doesn't mean anything (sadly) it does or should weigh in his favor that he's not some nut planning to take over a building.

Hope they clear this guy and hope that they re-think about how they're going to handle this type of mistake. According to the article it's happened more than once that someone making inquiries gotten busted and detained when they're a licensed carrier.

 

[ballen0351]

NY Gun laws scare me. Im a cop and can pretty much carry in every state but I still would never take a gun into New York city. Which may be why I wont go to New Youk City.

 

[Sukerkin]

So the man tries to do the right thing and the 'Little Hitler on the desk' has to wave his miniscule authority around. Let the Marine go with an apology after some education on the relevant laws in the state and discipline the stupid herbert on security for wasting police time.

 

[Tez3]

To be fair to the security officer he was doing what he was paid to do, he won't have any information on the Marine, wouldn't know his intentions etc. He did the right thing called the police because he had a man with a gun, the police however do have the wherewithal to investigate, to find out what the lad was doing etc, the blame if there is blame should be on them not the security guy.

 

[Grenadier]

As much as I dislike Sullivan's Law, it's still the law of that cursed city. Mayor Bloomberg will pull out every stop to get the absolute maximum sentence for the Marine, since he's quite an avid anti-gunner who will use whatever means at his disposal.

This fellow's best hope is for a SCOTUS ruling that invalidates Sullivan's Law.

 

[Skpotamus]

What really sucks is that he checked the laws and found the incorrect info online. I've found a couple websites that had the incorrect info on them as well.

Just a tip, www.nra-ila.org has up to date gun laws for every state. http://www.nraila.org/recmap/usrecmap.aspx (reciprocity info)

 

[SuperFLY]

this reminds me of a story last year or so where a guy finds a shotgun in his back garden (thrown there after a robbery or something) and being the good citizen he is he wraps it up in a bag and takes it to the nearest police station to hand it in.

after which he is immediately arrested and charged with carrying a concealed firearm.

makes me sick. people cant even do the right thing these days.

 

[celestial_dragon]

Your right, the security guard did what he was paid to do, but the cops should have handled it better. And that is why I freakin hate NYC, never been there, never gonna go. NYC can kiss my butt.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

NY doesn't recognize any other states permits. They're 'special'.

 

[Takai]

NY doesn't recognize any other states permits. They're 'special'.

"Special" isn't the word I would use. I have some friends that have moved from the PNW to NYC and....they can have it. This whole incident has "tragic outcome" written all over it.

 

[crushing]

This is still a bit much. 15 years? A young man's life is going to be ruined because of the lack of common sense. I agree strongly with responsible gun-ownership and use but the laws should have a hefty dallop of common sense in them.
If the guy has no priors and is a licensed carrier then arguably he's not a real threat. Granted just because he's a marine, a U.S. soldier doesn't mean anything (sadly) it does or should weigh in his favor that he's not some nut planning to take over a building.

Hope they clear this guy and hope that they re-think about how they're going to handle this type of mistake. According to the article it's happened more than once that someone making inquiries gotten busted and detained when they're a licensed carrier.

I disagree as to whom was lacking the common sense. You have a Marine that has pledged himself completely to the Constitution of the United States running up against pandering politicians that enact laws that seem quite contrary to that constitution. Hopefully the judge has common sense and there isn't a law against the judge using it (mandatory minimums and zero tolerance). Also, I hope that the Marine doesn't become disenchanted with his pledge to "support and defend the constitution" because of his New York experience.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Followup:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/n...es-plea-deal-on-new-york-gun-charge.html?_r=0

Ex-Marine From Indiana Takes Deal on Gun Charge
By RUSS BUETTNER
Published: March 20, 2012
A former Marine whose arrest at the Empire State Building on a gun-possession charge last September prompted outrage among supporters of gun rights pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a misdemeanor weapons-possession charge.
The agreement allowed the former Marine, Ryan Jerome, a jeweler from Indiana, to avoid a possible prison sentence of three and a half years. He agreed to serve 10 days of community service near his home and to pay a $1,000 fine.

Mr. Jerome, who was arrested on a felony charge after trying to check his pistol with security guards, had resisted for months the offer he eventually accepted in a standoff with the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr.

The charge and his military background drove Mr. Jerome’s supporters to write letters and create a Facebook page, “Free Private Ryan,” that accused Mr. Vance of being overzealous in enforcing New York’s strict weapons laws.

Mr. Jerome, 28, turned himself in Tuesday morning and was led before a judge in State Supreme Court in Manhattan in handcuffs. Later, outside the courtroom, Mr. Jerome said he was happy the case was over but not “extremely happy with the outcome.”

“I definitely did not know it was illegal to bring a gun into New York City,” he said.

Well, overall I'd say things worked out OK for him. He did not get a felony conviction, so he retains his right to own a firearm. He got off pretty lightly considering what he could have faced. And his ignorance of the law isn't a valid excuse. I don't like NYC gun laws either, and I support my fellow Marines, but it is the duty of every armed citizen to know what the laws are where they are. Failure to do so results in these kinds of problems, and that's the way it is. Stupid will cost you time and money. How stupid can you afford to be?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Oh, and I also found this:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/mar/20/no-jail-deal-for-ind-man-in-nyc-gun-check-case/

In pressing prosecutors to drop the charges, Jerome's lawyer, Mark A. Bederow, underscored his client's military service, which also inspired other Marines to write letters to various city officials. Prosecutors pushed back by disclosing last month that Jerome was a Marine for less than 11 months, was tagged with unauthorized absences and other problems and got an "other than honorable" discharge.

Bederow on Tuesday called prosecutors' account "a half-story" and "very misleading," but he and Jerome declined to elaborate.

When I was in, we called that being a ********. He's still a Marine, and I'm still glad he didn't get tossed in the pokey for a long time, but it kind of underscores that he's not paying attention. Maybe he'll wake up now.

 

[punisher73]

NY doesn't recognize any other states permits. They're 'special'.

Either does Illinois, of course in Illinois they refuse to issue them to their own residents. The mayor of Chicago has stated that he would have LEO's even arrested for carrying under the HR218 (National carry for LE).

Here is a website that shows states that recognize other states etc.
http://www.usacarry.com/concealed_carry_permit_reciprocity_maps.html