A Connecticut resident has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon after Transportation Security Administration agents allegedly detected a handgun in his carry-on baggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 7. TSA agents claimed that an X-ray machine at a security checkpoint revealed a .22 pistol packed into the 57-year-old man’s bag. According to the Office of Public Affairs, the man, who was en route to Aruba, stated that he had forgotten that his gun was in the bag.
Port Authority Police charged the man with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and confiscated the handgun. The man was eventually released on bail. According to a statement released by one of the man’s family members on July 7, his wife had packed his bag and hadn’t realized that the bag contained a gun. The statement also noted that the man has a concealed carry permit issued by the state of Connecticut.
As with any person accused of weapons charges, the man in this case may wish to employ a defense attorney to represent his case. Fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon is a Class-A misdemeanor in New York and is punishable by up to one year of imprisonment.
A criminal defense attorney in a case like this one might argue that the particular circumstances of this case merit a lesser sentence. As the defendant did not intentionally bring a weapon to an airport or attempt to commit any criminal act through the use of the firearm, a sentencing judge might be persuaded to agree that a lengthy prison sentence would be inappropriate.
Source: New York Penal Code § 265.01 Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree
Source: New York Penal Code § 70.15 Sentences of Imprisonment for Misdemeanors and Violation
Source: New Canaan News, “New Canaan man released on bail after gun found in carry-on“, Nelson Oliveira, July 08, 2014