Advice from a New York City Gun Lawyer
Gun offenses are especially common in the city of New York. That is due to the complexity of local gun laws, and the lack of awareness of some of these laws. Advice from a New York City gun lawyer could be useful to many, which is why those who have been charged with a gun offense should speak to a skilled gun attorney that could devote the time and resources necessary to build your defense.
Importance of Responsible Gun Ownership
If someone lives in New York City, the most important advice from a New York gun lawyer that an individual will receive is, do not get a gun. If someone lives outside of New York City and they are in a location where they can apply for a permit and lawfully own a gun, they should make sure they have scrupulously adhered to the requirements necessary in order to get the license that they are looking for, because if they apply for a license to have a gun in their place of business which does not give them the ability to carry it around, put in their car, take it home, take it to the range and doing whatever they want with it; it has to stay in their place of business.
Proper Transportation and Storage of Guns
If someone gets a permit to keep their gun at home, it has to stay at home. They should make sure that whatever license they apply for is the one they want. They should also make sure that they have the ability to lock their gun away. There are a fair number of crimes that happen with guns that are reported stolen out of people’s houses and get brought into New York City. There are people who, because they are felons, cannot purchase firearms themselves, so they find other people who have guns; break into their houses and steal them so that they can have firearms to commit more crimes.
People should also make sure that they know their abilities and the law concerning transporting guns. There are federal rules that govern interstate transport of guns and there are obviously laws that govern bringing guns into New York City itself. Other cities in New York, like Buffalo or Albany, have their own local ordinances about guns coming in and out. A person should make sure before they take a gun anywhere, they know what the local rules are about them.
Advice for Those Who Have Been Charged With a Gun Offense
If a person has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of a firearm, or criminal sale of a weapon charge, the best advice would be to get an attorney. That is the single most important thing someone can do when they are charged with any crime, but especially a firearms crime, as those cases tend to go to more experienced and seasoned prosecutors who take the cases more seriously.
The second thing that a person should do is go through the entire situation with that attorney to explain any mitigating factors as early as humanly possible because these cases can potentially be stopped at certain milestones, and convincing a prosecutor early that this is not a case worth prosecuting is more beneficial when it happens sooner rather than later.
Importance of Working With a New York Gun Lawyer
The best advice from a New York gun lawyer, is to let them handle your gun case. Too many people either do not show up for court and try to run away, or they will try to conduct their own investigation, try to interview the witnesses or going around to see what they can kind of come up with.
This is usually counterproductive, because if they speak to certain people or if they do certain things without their attorney present, they may discourage people from speaking later to their attorney who actually has important and relevant questions to ask them. If you have been charged with a gun offense work with an experienced gun attorney that could advocate for you.