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Friday, January 13, 2012

Mark Meckler: NYC Gun Charges Dropped. Now I Can Speak Out.

Mark Meckler, taking a plane from New York City has his personal firearm in a locked case inside his luggage. He is asked to sign a form at the ticket counter saying he has a gun in his luggage. The police are called, arrest him and take him to jail.
On December 15, 2011 at approximately 5:15 a.m., I was at LaGuardia International airport preparing to check in for a flight out of the city. During a routine check-in, I requested a firearms declaration form from the ticket agent. It was my intent to declare and check my unloaded firearm.

I purchased this firearm legally, and I have a valid concealed carry permit for it issued in California. The unloaded gun was locked inside a TSA-approved travel case, and the case was locked inside my checked luggage. I carry the firearm for my personal safety, having received numerous threats due to my role in the Tea Party Patriots. I have checked this firearm at airports dozens of times before, all across the country.

As I traveled through LaGuardia that morning, I passed TSA signs telling me I had the right to check this unloaded firearm in my luggage, and that I am required by law to declare the firearm to the ticketing agent. This is exactly what I did.

The ticketing agent provided me with the declaration form, and I signed it and returned it to her. She advised me that she would need to call Port Authority police to inspect. This is not unusual when traveling with a firearm. Procedures vary from airport to airport, from airline to airline, and even from day to day, and as a law-abiding citizen, I have always been happy to cooperate.

Unfortunately, that day, I didn’t realize that I was about to cross paths with New York City’s anti-Second Amendment stance. Upon showing my case and the weapon to the officer who arrived on the scene, and after a few brief questions, she advised me that she was placing me under arrest for violating New York City’s firearms laws.

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I was subsequently transferred, in handcuffs, to the Queens Central booking facility in New York City. I was charged with felony possession of a firearm with intent to do harm. I spent the day in Queens…in jail.
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Now free and the charges dropped, they refuse to give him his gun back.

2 comments:

thisishabitforming said...

This is more Amerikkka, now that the originators of the phrase are in charge.

Brittany said...

Such a great article it was which the unloaded gun was locked inside a TSA-approved travel case, and the case was locked inside my checked luggage. In which the ticketing agent provided me with the declaration form, and I signed it and returned it to her. Thanks for sharing this article.