New York’s “Red Flag Law” Gets First Use, And Its Flaws Are Plain To See

By Cam Edwards

A Rensselaer County, New York man is the first in the state to have his firearms temporarily taken from him, and the case is already revealing some of the major flaws in the New York law, which went into effect in late August.

Robert King, a 51-year old man, was arrested and charged with felony weapons possession charges after shooting a parked car in New Lebanon, New York. Interestingly, the felony charge King is facing is for simply possessing the pistol without a license. He’s only facing two misdemeanors for reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. It seems odd to me that possessing a pistol is a felony, while using that pistol recklessly is a misdemeanor, but it’s a perfect demonstration of how New York’s gun laws are more concerned about otherwise legal gun ownership (in the vast majority of states, no license is needed to own a gun) than in the criminal use of a firearm.

After King was arrested, he made a comment about how it would be easier to kill himself than try to understand New York’s gun laws. That was enough for a New York State trooper to file a request to seize …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms