Prevalence of Guns in New York City Crime
The prevalence of guns in New York crime is a major reason why gun offenses are penalized so harshly. A large number of violent crimes are carried out by people who are using firearms. Because gun crimes are taken so seriously, it is important for people who have been charged with gun offenses to seek legal help. A seasoned gun lawyer could devote the time and resources necessary to build a person’s case.
What Factors Have Led to Recent Trends of Gun-Related Crimes in New York City?
The number one factor in the trend of gun-related crimes is the presence of a firearm in the commission of a felony offense. So many felonies in New York revolve around pointing a gun, the showing of a gun, firing a gun, buying or selling a gun, and so many different types of crimes involve firearms.
Drug dealers routinely carry guns with them. Robbers carry guns, burglars carry guns, people who commit homicides frequently commit them with guns, showing that the prevalence of guns in New York crime is real.
Guns even have their own separate category in the penal law to deal with the possession, use, or sale and are also a big factor in so many other types of felonies that they have a special place and there are dealt with severely. The mere presence of a gun is an aggravating factor to any situation.
How Prevalent are Guns Compared to Other Weapons
The prevalence of guns outweighs in New York crime is indisputable. A lot of violent crimes in New York revolve around firearms. Knives are also prevalent (I.e. gravity knives or switchblades); but in terms of what people think of when they consider violent crime or gang violence in New York, a lot of it is firearms-based, so it is especially prevalent in the violent crime landscape.
Role That Gun Laws Play in Crime
The gun laws are very specific. There are many charges for a number of different acts taken with a gun from simple possession to the use of, or the sale of a firearm. Someone could also get in trouble for the possession of certain types of ammunition holders and different feeders. New York has criminalized a lot of different aspects of gun possession and use. They are, unfortunately, fairly easy to circumvent as seen by the prevalence of guns in New York crime.
It does not seem too difficult for people who are interested in committing violent crimes to get their hands on a gun in New York, and part of the reason for that is that a person does not have to travel too far outside of New York to find places that sell guns with minimal background checks. Criminal organizations import guns into New York from places on the Eastern Seaboard where purchasing guns is fairly easy.
Guns come up from Virginia and down from Vermont where buying a gun is not at as onerous as it is in New York. These organizations will set up a satellite group in these locations where they can purchase firearms legally and bring them into New York, distributing them to the people in New York City to commit criminal acts. This is one of the reasons why the penalties in New York City have become so harsh, because of the ease with which people who are bent on committing violent acts can get their hands on guns.
Misconceptions About Gun Laws in New York
The biggest misconception about gun laws may be that if a person can legally possess a firearm outside of New York City that they can bring it into New York City because they have a New York State permit. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It is a bit counterintuitive and it leads to a lot of confusion however, ignorance of the law is generally not a valid defense and technically does run afoul of the law.
The second biggest misconception is what constitutes a loaded firearm. In New York, the rule is that a gun is considered loaded, regardless of whether or not a clip is in the firearm or the gun actually has ammunition in the physical object itself, if the ammunition is within arm’s reach of the gun. If someone ejects a clip from a gun, takes the bullet out of the chamber, puts it in a suitcase and the gun is also in the suitcase, that gun is considered loaded in New York. A lot of people think that they are over-charged in New York when they are charged with a loaded firearm when the bullets are not actually in the gun when, in reality, in New York, that does constitute possession of a loaded firearm. If an individual wants to know more about gun laws and the prevalence of guns in New York crime, they should consult a knowledgeable gun lawyer who could answer their questions.