Due to continued problems with violence in the U.S., police and prosecutors in New Jersey will aggressively pursue charges against those they believe have violated a weapons law.
Readers may not intend to break the law, but under the state’s criminal justice system, ignorance of the law is not an excuse. That is true, even if you believe you are acting within the law, because you are from another state.
A man who was arrested in New Jersey on New Year’s Eve may have thought that he was allowed to carry a concealed gun in his car, because he had a license to do so in Florida. But New Jersey authorities do not recognize out of state concealed-weapon permits.
A police officer pulled over his vehicle just after 11 p.m. on Dec. 31. The officer claims he saw the defendant make an illegal left turn in Florham Park. Little detail about how the left turn was illegal is not mentioned by the Florham Park Eagle. Among the charges against the man is failure to observe a traffic sign.
During the traffic stop, the officer says, the suspect initially said he was a police officer himself, before later admitting that was not true. He also told the officer that there was a handgun in his glove compartment, and that he had a conceal-and-carry permit for it.
The officer arrested the Florida man on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm, along with the traffic violation. He was issued a summons and released.
As with what apparently happened in this case, it is possible to get hit with serious weapons charges while thinking you were following the law. If that happens, it is important to contact a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.
Source: Florham Park Eagle, “Loaded gun leads to charges for Florida man,” Jan. 17, 2014
