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In a resolution that should make the rest of the ever-growing crowd of New York City gun law violators breathe easier, Mark Meckler has settled the charges against him. As nypost.com reports, he’s plead guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct and will pay a $250 fine. Which is fine. He lost his Glock, but that beats the hell out of a possible 15 years – and a six figure legal bill – if the D.A. had decided to give him the full court Plaxico prosecution treatment. The city clearly wants these embarrassing and highly inconvenient cases to go away with a minimum of fuss and publicity. Look for the Vankirk, Graves and Jerome cases to meet a similar, quiet end.

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46 COMMENTS

    • +1. It is fun to dream, though. Can you imagine watching Hizzoner Bloomberg squirm while Scalia reads him the riot act?

  1. It’s a win on technical grounds but in the end Mark made a huge mistake that could have cost his freedom. These are their rules and you have to follow them, while working to correct the situation by exercising your finger at the ballot box. Elections have consequences and it takes time to fix problems like this.
    The fact is NYC gun regulations are in violation of state and federal statues on many levels, especially when a gun in hotel room is deemed illegal. Beyond the practical nature of self defense, possessing a gun for the sake of having it formed the basis of the Heller decision and the infringement we dealt with just traveling through areas (like Boston) are unconstitutional.
    Good luck Mark but keep your guns out of the Big Apple for now.

  2. I told ya so. And I told you why too, and it wasn’t any of that self-serving-for-the-city conspiracy crap you’re trying to push. The reason is these laws are aimed at gun smugglers. This guy and the other recent examples aren’t that, so because the system works pretty well, they get a slap on the wrist and hopefully learn a lesson.

    • False. I’m sure NYC has plenty of people rotting away in jail for the same thing, but because of the political climate at the moment, Meckler et al get a free pass. Read the quote mentioned earlier (about a week ago?) where the politician admitted that the reason they are treading so carefully is because they fear giving HR 822 any ground. Straight from the horses mouth. You can’t deny that.

      • Apparently Plaxico Burress was, in addition to catching footballs, and infamous gun smuggler.

        This was politics, pure and simple. It didn’t serve the city’s interests to prosecute these people, so they get a parking ticket and lose their heaters. If this had happened 18 months ago before the House moved from D to R, they’d all be lawyering up and getting measured for orange jumpsuits. To pretend otherwise, Mikey, is more than a little disingenuous and self serving.

        • Oh, this is all political. HR 822 is floating around and the Dems do want their boys and girls re-elected this Fall. NYC pushes and things could get ugly for the politicians.

    • What lesson would that be Mike?

      That you can do nothing wrong and still go to jail?

      That NY does not honor FOPA?

      Also, if its slap of the wrist Mike, why did they not get their guns back? What harm would that have done?NY just does not want a fight they know they will loose similar to DC.

      Please qoute from the statue where it says it is just for gun smugglers?

    • This is an open-shut conviction on NYC laws, Mike. Witnesses, paperwork filled out declaring the presence of an unregistered/unlicensed (by NYC) handgun in the *handwriting of the accused*, etc. There is little to no reason to plead this one out, Meckler has no defense.

      There are at least three explanations as to why the DA chose to not prosecute: 1) Meckler isn’t a gunrunner, 2) the DA is getting political pressure from elected officials who have already spoken up, 3) the Sullivan laws are unlikely to survive a SCOTUS challenge and prosecuting Meckler to the extent of the law would sooner or later result in a SCOTUS challenge.

      Of these three, the “gunrunner” explanation is the weakest by far, otherwise nobody would go to prison except gunrunners — and Plaxico Burress may have many issues but gunrunning is not among them. The best explanation is a combination of 2 and 3, as NYC has a great chance of getting their firearms restrictions invalidated by SCOTUS or lower courts as well as incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in court costs along the way.

      Ultimately it doesn’t come down to the cost of prosecuting one clear-cut violation of the law, it comes down to defending the law all the way to the Supreme Court and losing, while giving HR 822 a sympathetic poster boy. The pols in charge of NYC do not want their CCW rules dictated by Florida, so they plead out an easy case.

      It won’t work forever.

    • Povero mikeb, ancora nessun fatto e la vostra retorica diventa più debole, e debole, e più debole.

      Forse si dovrebbe attaccare a parlare nella tua lingua adottata paesi e credenze.

      Lets have some fun, you can use Google Translate (it is free) to slam mikeb in his adopted countries language, Italian.

      That and it really makes it easy to get by the filters on other blogs, lol.

      Favorite of slamming the anti gun zealots is to translate to German or Russian, they hate it.

      • Jarhead,
        Google translate (and the likes) does not take into account linguistic peculiarities such as grammar and colloquialisms (sp?). I translated your English part above to Swedish, then to German, then back again to English. Interesting point though to get around blog filters 🙂

        Swedish:

        Låt oss ha lite kul, kan du använda Google Translate (det är gratis) för att slå igen mikeb i hans adoptiv länder språk, italienska. (this is mostly unerstandable)

        Det och det verkligen gör det lätt att få av filtren på andra bloggar, lol. (kinda ok)

        Favorit smäller anti pistolen fanatiker är att översätta till tyska eller ryska, hatar de det. (barely makes sense)

        German (my 3rd but rather atrophied language):

        Lasst uns Spaß haben, können Sie mit Google Translate (kostenlos) zurück zu drehen MikeB in seiner Wahlheimat Sprache, Italienisch.

        Das, und es macht es wirklich einfach, durch die Filter auf anderen Blogs bekommen, lol.

        Favorit schlägt anti-gun Fanatiker zu übersetzen ins Deutsche oder Russen, sie es hassen.

        English (my 2nd language – did not turn out as bad as I though it would):

        Let us have fun, you can use Google Translate (free) back to MikeB in his adopted home language, Italian. (almost the same)

        That, and it makes it really easy to get through the filters on other blogs, lol. (the same)

        Favorite proposes to translate anti-gun fanatics into German or Russian, they hate it. (what?)

        • Nazis & communists dont like to be called out as such, and reminding them of all the killings and such perpetrated by those monsters and in turn blaming them for all those deaths in their own language just infuriates them to the point of going postal in the blog for oh so many of those brain dead meat puppets. After all, they blame 80 mil law abiding gun owners for every death in the US, turnabout is fair play!

          And as mentioned, it beats the filters.

      • It will never happen.
        I figured it out a while back. mikeb is the class clown.
        None of his comments are backed up by facts, have any merit or make the least bit of sense.
        What they do is generate loads of rebuttal comments by those who enjoy bantering with him.
        When I read this post it had twelve responses.
        Five were actually about the post.
        One was by mikeb.
        Six were in response to mikeb’s comment.
        Thats seven out of twelve generated by mikeb.
        It’s all just a game.
        mikeb makes some stupid comment and the others point out just how stupid it is.
        Since his arguments never hold water, he can never win.
        Eventually he tires of the game and moves on to another post.
        He will never be cut off because he’s good for business if nothing else.
        Fortunately he uses the color blue for his screen name which makes it easy to bypass his comments.

      • If you think he’s bad, you should definitely stay away from his blog. Some of the bullshit spewn over there by doggone and Laci_the_dog would make your head explode.

        • It’s kind of funny that they only hang out on his blog, where they can use selective moderation to control the message.

    • The importance of debating with Mike is to 1) prove that he is wrong, 2) strengthen out arguments, and 3) to possibly get him on our side. If we can find the cracks in his logic, then we can defend our rights where it really matters: the public sphere. Additionally, it is good to learn how to discuss this issue with the other side while not completely alienating them. We need to “speak softly carry a big stick.” We try to get as many people on our side by using logic and a cool tone, but when the politicians start drafting legislation, we go to war with already tested arguments.

      • #1 happens routinely, #2 is always good, #3 will never happen. Your point is extremely important though. We need to know what the other side’s playbook is, and Mike is kind enough to come by and share.

      • These would be true if mikeb were a legitimate representative , but he is not.
        When I first discovered TTAG I tried to take him seriously. I tried to get his opinion. I ask him to explain his point of view. All I got was inane dribble and nonsensical ranting.
        If you have nothing better to do check my three (3) attempts to communicate with mikeb on the 12/19/2011 post titled: “Quote of the Day : Staying on Message No Matter What Edition” and you will see just how ridiculously inappropriate his responses were.
        It was then that I discovered what his real function at TTAG is. Since I have no desire to banter with this clown,I wrote him off and no longer read his comments.
        In fact if I were an anti-gun advocate I would beg mikeb to go away and stop embarrassing me.
        If there is a serious anti-gun advocate with something to say posting on TTAG, I would love to hear your point of view.
        Unfortunately this clown seems to be the only game in town.

        • Ron says, “All I got was inane dribble and nonsensical ranting.”

          That’s code for “sees things differently” and “has a different point of view” and “disagrees with.”

        • No it is not code. I don’t talk in code. Unlike you I deal in facts.
          On 12/19/2011:
          Ralph said, “There’s nothing wrong with getting guns out of the hands of criminals. That’s a laudable goal. But mikey your fellow Mikey is full of sh!t. It’s not criminals that he wants to disarm. It’s me.

          You said, Ralph he’s full of shit for only one reason, because you don’t like his opinions, they differ from yours. And like you do with me and all the other gun control people, you exaggerate what he says in order to better argue against it. To argue against what he really says would make you sound unreasonable, even to your friends.”

          I said, “Where did Ralph exaggerate? What is Mayor Bloomberg really saying?”

          Your reply was, ” Ron, the facts are that guns do more harm than good. If you want to own guns for what ever reason that’s your business. But owning guns as a protection against random violence is a mistake, in my opinion.

          This is backed up by surveys, polls and statistics, which of course you can counter with your own surveys, polls and statistics. I don’t play that game. I use my head and try to be rational about it.”

          What did your reply have to do with the questions asked? NOTHING.
          Did you give any explanation for your claim that Ralph was exaggerating? NO.
          Did you make any attempt to clairify what Mayor Bloomberg was really saying? NO.
          The FACTS are all you did was tell me how you don’t like guns but it’s my business if I want to. Then make reference to some surveys, polls and statistics which you did not supply ( BIG SURPRISE).

          In short all you did was spew a bunch of INANE DRIBBLE AND NONSENSICAL RANTING, which is all you ever do.
          But that’s fine Mike. As I also stated, I have no problem with you. I once thought you were a serious person. I now realize that no one takes you seriously. Your function at TTAG is to generate material and provide laughs. Your the comic relief.
          What I have a problem with is understanding why the serious anti-gun advocates put up with your inane dribble and nonsensical ranting.

    • Actually, I like Mike posting here, I have been on forums that turned into an echo chamber and they are boring. We actually need Mike’s buddies posting here as well.

      • I’ll second that. It gets to be groupthink city on a lot of gun blogs, where they automatically assume you’re Republican, Christian, white and believe ‘merica can do no wrong.

      • I dunno if we need them- it’s nice to have a refuge from nonsense- but my support for the 2nd A goes hand-in-hand with my support for the 1st. So long as he’s civil and polite, I’m inclined to put up with him… but really, the decision is ultimately up to the owners of the blog.

        • I participate in the discussions on Mikeb302000’s blog. It’s entertaining, and while none of that blog’s writers will ever be convinced to join the gun rights side, other people read what gets written and may learn something. For example, my experience is that those who favor gun rights tend to be much more polite and rational in their comments than the gun control folks.

        • I’ll say this about you Greg. You are polite in the face of terrible personal attacks. I respect you for that.

          The good news for my side is, we have the best argument, so all your niceness won’t sway as many as the logic of our arguments.

          When democommie or Laci are at their nastiest, they make great points.

        • “When democommie or Laci are at their nastiest, they make great points.”
          —–
          Please. The only thing Laci proves is that the only thing required to be a lawyer in the UK is a rabid predisposition to use ad hominem attacks.

    • My short answer is because it is fun. I enjoy watching him create one logical fallacy after another and then shooting them down. Have you ever shot gophers at 300 yards with a high powered rifle? It’s kinda like that.

  3. Wonder what they did with his Block? Think they counted it as one of the “illegal” guns that they got off the street?

  4. It’s still a horrible “deal”. These people will have a criminal record that will seriously limit their options especially in the employment arena. All for harming or threatening no-one.

  5. Dan and gang,
    Here’s Meckler’s statement. He kind of leaves out the guilty plea bit.
    http://www.markmeckler.com/nyc-gun-charges-dropped-now-i-can-speak-out/

    There are two NYC prosecutors who like to push these kinds of cases. At the link I posted Meckler says his attorney alone has had 400 of these out-of-city inadvertent violator cases. Brown, in Queens (the airports), and Vance, in Manhattan. Look both of these guys up. You’ll see that they’re both cold-hard-death on out-of-towners (not -staters; a NY State permit is not honored in the city) with firearms, but they seldom pile firearms charges on to violent criminals. In 2009, Brown wrote to the Times boasting that on his watch New York had the “greatest decrease in prison population” in its history.

    Vance is similar. He’s a third generation career politician — his bloodline has been out of the productive economy since the Wilson administration at least. His father was one of MacNamara’s whiz kids that brought us gradualism in Vietnam, and later helped Jimmy Carter midwife the Iranian terror state.

  6. I don’t agree with Mikeb, but come on guys – he’s entitled to a different opinion!

    IIRC the Sullivan Law was first promulgated with the intention of keeping guns out of the hands of immigrants – specifically Eye-talians. Given the racist history of gun control generally, this isn’t hard to believe. Since it applies to weapons including guns, knives, brass knuckles, saps and truncheons, the law was clearly NOT intended primarily to combat “gun smugglers”.

    • Bambi, Thanks for what you said about my being entitled to a different opinion.

      About the history of the laws and all that, that’s very interesting, but the point in the post that I picked up on was that none of these tourists to NYC who get caught with a gun are going to jail. The reason is because they obviously are not the criminals that the mayor is concerned with and to suggest that they’ll be made examples of, is just more grandiose victimism.

      The laws may have started out with the racist agenda that you mentioned, I’m not convinced of that, but one thing for sure is, today they are concerned about gun traffickers and smugglers. Meckler and the lady from Tennessee are not that, so they’ll get the slap on the wrist they deserve, nothing more.

      • If the law slams inadvertent violators who are licensed in other jurisdictions rather than local criminals or gun smugglers, then the law needs to be changed and narrowed to just those purposes, leaving the rest of us the hell alone.

        Wouldn’t you agree, Mikey?

        • No I don’t. There’s no such thing as “inadvertent” when it comes to bringing a gun into NYC.

          Could you do something that stupid?

          The law is a good one. When a judge reviews the facts, these stupid guys, or the “inadvertent offenders” as you call them, will get a slap on the wrist, while the gun trafficker who brings guns up fro Virgina will do time.

    • I agree that mikeb is entitled to a different opinion.
      I also believe he has as much right as anyone else to express his opinion.
      As a pro-gun advocate I have no problem with mikeb. I consider him to be nothing more than a harmless baffoon.
      If I were an anti-gun advocate, then I would have a problem with mikeb.

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