Quoted:
Police found assault rifles, handguns and a double barrel shotgun -- along with high-capacity magazines and over ten-thousand rounds of ammunition -- in his Fresh Meadows home. Prosecutors say the private practice attorney's home is two blocks from an elementary school.

Quoted:
OMG!
Oh No,
He had a dreaded double barrel shotgun.

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He lives in New York CITY-no assault rifles, no handguns (w/o special permit) no high capacity magazines-he's in a wee bit of trouble-most of this would not be a problem in New York outside of NYC

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I'd be curious to see WHY, and under what circumstances his home was searched.

Isn't that the most important part of this story??

Quoted:
Shame on him! How do they expect terrorists to  be sucesssful if victims have the ability to fight back?

Your AP story on  on the Queens attorney being caught with guns points out the absurdity of NYC gun laws, especially in light of past terrorist attacks and possible future ones.  The police cannot protect us, but heaven forbid that someone should try to assume responsiblity for protecting themselves.  This quote is just more media hype and scare tactic trash that is unfortunately becoming the norm in media:

"A Queens attorney who is part of a civilian patrol has been arrested on charges of stockpiling an arsenal of lethal weapons."

Just exactly what is an arsenal?  From some articles I have read, it could be as small as  2 firearms, not hardly an arsenal.  Instead of this vague and misleading term of 'arsenal', try using a number and let people decide.  As far as 'lethal weapons', more sensationalism and scare tactics by the media.  A car can be a 'lethal weapon', as can a knife, a bathtub, a towel, a hammer, a brick, etc.  This type of reporting is becoming pretty typical and that is unfortunate.  At one time, you could lend credence to what a reporter said, but not anymore.


Also, the article quotes this:

"Police found assault rifles, handguns and a double barrel shotgun -- along with high-capacity magazines and over ten-thousand rounds of ammunition"

Well, regardless of what police say, Clinton says, or BATF says, a semiautomatic AR15 type rifle or any other semiautomatic is not an assault rifle because it is not capable of select fire, ie , more that one shot with each trigger pull.  I don't expect you to understand this as news organizations like yours seem to depend on untruthful groups such as the Brady/MMM organization for your innacurate 'facts'.

It is sad to see that a city likes to oppress it's decent citizens to the point to where they are treated worse than CRIMINALS for simply preparing to defend themselves if need be.  This man is not a criminal, even thought NYC laws and the local media will treat him as such.  

Meanwhile, those that DO commit robberies, rapes, and murders are coddled by the media and the court sytem, who try to 'understand' them, feel sorry for them, and blame their being scumbags on society, or their upbringing, etc......

This is really a sad state of affairs.

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Unfortunately for Mr. Bernstein, NYC's administrative code {section 10-301 (16)} does include semi automatic weapons within the definition of an assault rifle-

16. "Assault weapon."

(a) Any semiautomatic centerfire or rimfire rifle or semiautomatic shotgun which has one or more of the following features:

1. folding or telescoping stock or no stock;

2. pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;

3. bayonet mount;

4. flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor;

5. barrel shroud;

6. grenade launcher; or

7. modifications of such features, or other features, determined by rule of the commissioner to be particularly suitable for military and not sporting purposes. In addition, the commissioner shall, by rule, designate specific semiautomatic centerfire or rimfire rifles or semiautomatic shotguns, identified by make, model and/or manufacturer's name, as within the definition of assault weapon, if the commissioner determines that such weapons are particularly suitable for military and not sporting purposes.

(b) Any shotgun with a revolving-cylinder magazine.

(c) Any part, or combination of parts, designed or redesigned or intended to readily convert a rifle or shotgun into an assault weapon.

(d) "Assault weapon" shall not include any rifle or shotgun modified to render it permanently inoperative.

Quoted:


No "sniper rifles"?  What's the media coming to when they can't even list all their own alarmist buzzwords in an article.

Quoted:
Pay attention to this one, gentlemen:

[size=4][b]"His girlfriend reported the weapons..."[/b][/size=4]

stockpiling an arsenal of lethal weapons

stockpiling an arsenal of lethal weapons

Monday, July 1, 2002


QUEENS LAWYER CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF DEADLY FIREARMS; ALLEGEDLY STOCKPILED ARSENAL OF HANDGUNS, ASSAULT RIFLES, SHOTGUNS AND OVER 10,000 ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION IN FRESH MEADOWS HOME

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a Queens attorney, who is also an auxiliary police officer in the 107th Precinct, has been charged with criminal possession of deadly firearms and accused of stockpiling an arsenal of lethal weapons -- including assault rifles, handguns and a double barrel shotgun -- along with high-capacity magazines and over 10,000 rounds of ammunition in his Fresh Meadows home which is only two blocks from a public elementary school.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Philip Bernstein, 46, of 69-40 Fresh Meadow Lane in Fresh Meadows, Queens. The defendant has been charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third and Fourth Degree and violating the Firearms/Ammunition provision of the New York City Administrative Code. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

District Attorney Brown said, "The defendant is charged with turning his home into an arsenal stocked with handguns, rifles, shotguns and thousands of live rounds of ammunition. He is alleged to have kept a loaded pump action shotgun next to his bed, to have two assault rifles with folding stock and flash suppressor barrel under his bed and to have had a safe full of handguns, rifles and ammunition. The defendant allegedly also had other ammunition hidden throughout his house including under his living room sofa, on a guest room bookshelf, in his dining room and inside a hallway closet. The stockpile of guns and ammunition posed a potential threat to public safety."

The District Attorney said that the weapons cache was discovered last week when the defendant’s fiancé who resides with him, called police during a domestic quarrel.

According to the criminal complaint, on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 about 1:30 p.m. police responded to the woman’s complaint and the defendant admitted them to his residence. Police saw a shotgun next to a bed and the defendant showed them eight rifles, five handguns as well as numerous rounds of ammunition which he had stored in a safe.

Several hours later detectives returned to the residence and executed a court authorized search warrant drafted by the District Attorney’s Narcotics Investigation Bureau.

Detectives seized a total of 16 guns -- including five handguns, two 9mm assault rifles, six other rifles and three shotguns including a Remington 870 Police Magnum with a shoulder stock marked "for law enforcement use only" -- and over 10,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers for rifles, pistols and shotguns weighing over 200 pounds and over 80 large-capacity ammunition feeding devices. It is alleged that the defendant lacked proper licenses for many of the weapons found in his home.

The defendant’s home is just two blocks from PS 173, a public elementary school grades K-5, at 174-10 67th Avenue. Classes were dismissed for summer vacation the day before the defendant’s arrest.

The defendant has been an Auxiliary Police Officer for the past two years. His duties included unarmed patrols within the confines of the 107th Precinct which encompasses the defendant’s Fresh Meadows neighborhood.

The defendant was arrested on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 at his home and was arraigned on Friday in Queens County Criminal Court by Judge Denis J. Butler who set bail of $200,000 (bond)or $100,000 (cash) and a return date of July 11, 2002.

The investigation was conducted by Sergeant Greg Meyers and Police Officer Warren Ernst of the 107th Precinct under the command of Captain Patrick Heaney and by Sergeant Christopher Kunz of the NYPD Intelligence Division under the supervision of Captain Frank Darcillo. Members of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms assisted in the investigation.

Assistant District Attorney Marnie B. Lobel of the District Attorney's Narcotics Investigation Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Wilbert J. LeMelle, Bureau Chief, Gregory C. Pavlides, Deputy Bureau Chief, and Karen J. Friedman, Supervisor, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco, Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Mansfield and Linda M. Cantoni, Counsel to the Investigation Division.

It should be noted that criminal charges are merely accusations and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.