Quinnen Williams arrested for gun possession at JFK. (Update: Confirmed)

[Big_Slick]

16 hours ago, Biggs said:

The bill of rights didn't apply to the States or local government in 1791 or ever.  Only the Federal government.  Without the strict constructionist expansion of the rights under the 14th amendment you would have zero argument on this.

This is a football forum and I'll restrict my posts to football. I'm out of any political discussion.

[rbstern]

On 3/8/2020 at 8:44 PM, kelticwizard said:

Are you arguing that pistol ownership should require no more than proof of identity and residence, like voting?

The Supreme Court already did something close to that, in DC v. Heller.

Sorry I'm late to this thread.  Hadn't been following the offseason closely, didn't know this transpired.

Once upon a time, I was federally licensed curio and relic gun collector, a.k.a., an "FFL 03."  The license has many of the same requirements as an "FFL 01," (a federal firearms dealer license).  I had to be very familiar with firearms regulations.  I also have a carry permit in GA, and I'm active in gun rights movements and discussions.

I wanted to clarify some misconceptions about the legal issues related to Williams' situation:

1) In most states of the United States, there is no permit required to buy or posess a gun, whether a rifle, shotgun or handgun.  You can walk into a federally licensed gun store, fill out a form (#4473), submit to an instant background check, and buy a gun right then and there, as long as the instant check doesn't come back with a negative or delay status.  You walk out with the gun (and ammo, if you want) right after you pay.

2) In many states of the United States, you can privately buy a gun from another resident of the same state, without any background check.  You can literally meet anywhere legal to conduct private business, and conduct such a transaction.  The only other limitation is that neither party in the transaction can be a "prohibited person."  Basically, a felon, or someone convicted of a demostic violence offence, or someone who would otherwise fail a background check.  This private transaction is often referred to as the "gun show loophole."  It's a bit of a misnomer, because the people selling guns at gun shows are usually federally licensed gun dealers, and they must do background checks for every gun sale.

3) Williams apparently had an AL carry permit.  Carry permits, and the privileges they convey, are specified by state law, and vary greatly by state.  For example, a couple of posters in this thread have permits to carry in IL and SC, and were posting about their training classes and what they were informed about carrying in other states. They both stated Williams should have gotten the same info when he got his AL permit.  In many states (AL included), there is no training requirement.  No classes.  No education process.  If you are not a prohibited person and pass a background check (a bit deeper than a gun purchase background check), you can get a carry permit.  Every state is a bit different.   There are now more than a dozen states that no longer require a permit for a lawful person to conceal a weapon.

There is no such thing as a "registered gun" in Alabama.  There is no permitting process to buy or own a gun in Alabama.  The AL carry permit only pertains to how a gun may be carried in public.

For people who live in places like the town where Williams grew up, or the rural, north Georgia town I live in, guns are no big deal.  We live with them.  They exist in most homes.  It's a tool, sometimes a hobby, and for many, an afterthought. Not a social problem in the least.  Cops don't freak out if you happen to be armed, or you've got a gun in a vehicle.  Where I live, on a given weekend, if it isn't raining, you'll hear gunfire from somewhere.  Somebody is always punching paper or tin cans, or breaking some clays with a shotgun.  It's just a routine fact of life and a non-issue.

So, when many of us outside NY/NJ consider a situation like the one Williams faces, we shake our heads.  We view it the same way some view stop and frisk:  An intrusion into a basic liberty.  When a law abiding citizen like Williams has unloaded gun in luggage that he declared to make known to the appropriate authorities, gets arrested and charged with a serious crime, we view it as a tyricannical abuse of his rights as a U.S. citizen.

I recognize metro NY has different social issues than rural America, but keep in mind, our gun laws also cover large metro areas with millions of people.  The cliche is true:  Gun laws generally limit the rights of law abiding citizens, and criminals continue to do what criminals do.

Williams should have known the NYC laws.  It's just that those laws are morally wrong.

Sorry for the long rant.  Wanted to clarify some misnfo presented here. 

Questions about gun laws?  Happy to answer them.

[Sperm Edwards]

@rbstern not because of you or your post, but I'm going to lock this down anyway seeing how the thread got earlier. 

When there's more news on Williams, someone can start a new thread at that time and we can discuss how this affects the Jets - or Williams himself - and not litigating the merits of the law.

Also because I'm a last word freak.