Gun Control Story of the Day

If you have a concealed weapon, don't tell anyone in New York that you have it:

Marine vs. NYC -- Here's the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Seems fairly straightforward... if you're a wingnut. That was then, this is now, and your moral, ethical, and intellectual superiors in the great state of New York know better. TheDC's Steven Nelson reports:

"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. Jerome has a valid concealed carry permit in Indiana and visited New York believing that it was legal to bring his firearm... The online gun-law information Jerome read was inaccurate, however, and his late September arrest initiated what may become a protracted criminal saga. He hasn't yet been indicted by a grand jury, but there may be little legal wiggle-room if he is... Jerome isn't the first out-of-state visitor to volunteer that they had a gun, only to be put through the wringer. In December, Tennessee nurse Meredith Graves noticed a 'no guns' sign at the World Trade Center site and asked where she could leave her weapon, only to face similar charges. Also in December, Tea Party Patriots co-founder Mark Meckler was arrested after attempting to check a pistol — for which he has a California concealed carry permit — at a New York airport."

Here's an idea: don't go to New York. They don't want you there anyway, and your money will spend just fine in the other 56 states.

If the Marine's case goes to court, it could provide a test case to challenge the notion that legally issued concealed carry permits should be valid in other states, just like your drivers license is valid wherever you travel. Someone who has passed the concealed carry process is no more dangerous to New Yorkers than an Iowa driver trying to maneuver his rental car around Manhattan. In fact, the gun owner is probably the safer of the two for New York City residents.