A founding member of the Tea Party Patriots was recently arrested in a New York airport on felony charges. Apparently he wasn't familiar with gun laws. Go figure. Although his lawyer is trying to weasel his way out of these charges, Mark Meckler had no valid reason to attempt to carry a firearm, with live rounds, on his flight. That's just insanity.
It seems that this Tea Party Patriots leader isn't on-the-level with gun carrying laws. Although he has a license to carry in the state of California, that gave him no clearance to carry around a lethal weapon on his New York flight. Pleading ignorance and lack of understanding of the laws is no excuse either. Civilians have no business carrying weapons on planes!
Leave it to a member of a super right-wing organization to pull something like this. It certainly doesn't make the gun-nuts look good when one of their own is nonchalantly trying to transport his weaponry over civilian flights.
Tea Party Patriots trial spectacle to come
Mark Meckler has been arraigned and released until his January court date. If he's found guilty, which it's obvious that he may just be, he can face up to 15-years in prison. Here's to hoping this yahoo is put through the wringer on this. Shame on him!
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Comments: 108
Thanks for reading!
Many articles out there have that particular bit in it. Chelsea seems to have chosen the version she likes.
Or maybe the other bits weren't reported at first.
In any case, if one does a bit of extra research one can now know that Meckler was not trying to carry it onto the plane. The gun was in his baggage in an approved locked box, and he declared it at the ticket counter as is required. It could be the only problem he has is, even that is not legal in New York if one has not gotten a permit specifically from New York. It's not a small problem, but not the end of the world, or even close to the near cataclysm some have portrayed it to be.
From this page: “Mark Meckler, an attorney and National Coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, who holds a concealed-carry permit from the state of California, today was charged with a firearms violation at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. While in temporary transit through the state of New York in possession of an unloaded, lawful firearm that was locked in a TSA-approved safe, he legally declared his possession of the firearm in his checked baggage at the ticket counter as required by law and in a manner approved by TSA and the airline, yet was arrested by port authority for said possession..."
I have traveled with firearms as well as having been a TSA agent.
Study your history.
Mary Ann ... We still have a lonnngggg way to go before the Tea Party is even with the misdemeanors and deliberate offenses of OWS (as they continue to deliberately do things to get arrested, block streets, attempt to shut down businesses) ... and there will probably be various other things again too, if they ever "get their 'homes re: park tents' back.
I know you know how to read, why do you insist on letting that ability decompose so wastefully?
I didn't say they didn't have homes; no need for baseless insults lol.
I was quoting some of the protester's own words when I used the word 'home' ... (words and an idea they have spoken of many times in regard to camping out on public property) ie " -- as they marked the completion of three months with a major direct action that could give them a new home as authorities continue to shutter camps nationwide."Btw, according to that same article, about fifty of em were arrested for trying to "occupy" a bit of land that the owner had already told them was not available for them.
Meckler, 49, declared the weapon, as required, authorities said. He's licensed to carry the gun in Grass Valley, Calif., where he lives, but that license isn't valid in New York, which has strict rules on carrying concealed weapons, they said."
Concealed in a locked box that you claimed at the airport? Or concealed in your clothing?
And probably isn't valid on any airplane ... which is why, it looks to me, like he was checking it in.
If he had it in a locked box it is concealed.
Meckler was screwed the moment he arrived in N.Y. as N.Y is a anti hand gun state, even if he did not have it concealed N.Y. is highly restrictive to Open carry also.
You are correct, only certain law enforcement officers are allowed to carry on board, if Meckler had tried to carry his handgun on board he would have been in violation of a much more serious laws.
This will be one to watch......
1. Were there rounds in the magazine? Was the magazine in the gun? If not, I am really curious what the carry laws are in NY State?
2. He had this in a locked box and not on his person. Once again, I wonder what the carry laws are in NY state.
Seem to me, someone caught wind of who this guy was and wanted to make an incident of it.
Chelsea, I bet you and the mainstream media won't say a peep if the charges go away.
I saw that. But being in the same case is not the same as it being loaded. It was not loaded. Yes, the ammo was in the case (and whether or not that is also a problem for New York is yet to be seen ... though it might be).
But, he did not carry it onboard and didn't intend to. Neither was it loaded (although the ammo seems to have been in the same case).
Then I must have misunderstood you when you said, "Not very smart to bring a loaded weapon on board a plane. They should add a stupidity charge to the others." Or you had received updated news after posting that comment ...
So, when I commented to you here I had not seen your retraction (and I knew that could be the case, which is why I added my last sentence above, "Or you had received updated news after posting that comment").
To that, all you had to do was say, 'I did.' and then point me to where I could read your retraction.
Even now I've seen only one; but to me it almost seems as if you think I must have read all of your comments from every part of this article's comment section and should absolutely know that you retracted ... I didn't, and didn't see the retraction in this particular thread and so I did not believe you.
But, as of this moment, I see you have retracted, at least once, (happened upon it as I was reading someone else's comments) your first assumption that the gun was loaded.
I apologize for not believing you in this instance. I should have asked you to show me where you had retracted ...
Tea Party Patriots co-founder Mark Meckler was taken into custody Thursday morning after he tried to check in for a Delta flight to Detroit with a locked gun box containing a Glock pistol and 19 cartridges of ammunition, Queens prosecutors said.
Meckler, 49, declared the weapon, as required, authorities said. He's licensed to carry the gun in Grass Valley, Calif., where he lives, but that license isn't valid in New York, which has strict rules on carrying concealed weapons, they said.
"He didn't have a correct understanding of the law," said Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which polices the area's main airports. "Though he has a permit to carry in California, that did not cover him in the state of New York."
Meckler spent the day in jail and was arraigned in Queens late Friday afternoon on a felony weapons possession charge. He was released pending a Jan. 12 court date.
The charge could carry prison time, but travelers who are arrested in such cases and appear to be trying to comply with the law typically pay fines.
The name of Meckler's attorney wasn't available Friday, and attempts to contact him by phone and electronic message were unsuccessful.
Couple things while he did try and protect the gun and the threat that someone else could get ahold of the gun by locking it in a case he must have realized that gun laws vary state by state and while he is licensed in one state other states will have different rules and regulation.
I still maintain that it was just a dumb move on his part. Whether he was looking for some publicity or just not thinking I dont know.
I would give him a big fine no jail time and hopefully he will have learned his lesson.
To me the distinction between transporting and carrying isnt really that big of a difference.
A gun has no place on a plane.
Traveling with Special Items
Firearms & Ammunition
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm
The gun shouldnt be there in the first place.
Could you imagine if his luggage got mixed up with someone elses and that gun was used for a murder or some kid got ahold of it?
From this page: He did not violate the rules of safe transportation ... meaning he was probably not trying to carry it onto the plane (or they would have reported it that way ... ; the big deal being made out of this as it actually is currently one can imagine if he was actually trying to get it onto the plane with him).
So I will reserve any other judgment until the whole story comes out.
States are all different, and some laws aren't very clear either. Even driving between them can get complicated.
I feel he was trying to make a point and it backfired since he didnt understand or take the time to find out the laws in whatever state he was going.
As for the rest of your comment...whatever. I have been very civil and stated my opinion you on the other hand are very vile.
sure you would...defend them right to prison you would.
I think half the problem is that people dont bother to check out the gun laws of the states they are going to. In this case NY has tougher gun laws.
Let's not let details ruin a good hack piece.