Last Updated on: 1st August 2023, 01:29 am

Carrying A Concealed Weapon Overview

The state of New York takes weapons charges very seriously. Of every state in the union, you’ll find some of the toughest concealed carry laws to contend with. There is a well-known violent crime problem in New York and to address this problem. Penal law 400 addressed concealed carry and requires you to have a permit to carry concealed weapons in New York. Pistols must be concealed, but you must have a permit to do so. Adding to the confusion, there are many states where this is either a felony or a misdemeanor and the rules of the law vary by state and even area sometimes.

If you’ve been charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, you might possibly be facing a felony charge. When you have a felony on your record, you can no longer own firearms, so given your charge, it’s to your benefit to try to get this charge reduced to a misdemeanor or even dropped altogether. Sometimes ignorance of the law can serve as a powerful defense. Intent and willfulness play a large part in this law. Some people simply don’t know the law and you may have been one of them. You can take heart: We’re on your side! We can help.

Penalties For Carrying A Concealed Weapon

If your charge is a felony, you’re facing more than a year in jail and some steep fines, something that it’s definitely in your best interest to avoid. The court fines alone can sometimes land you in legal hot water for decades. Felons can no longer carry or own firearms at all, so it’s in your best interest to fight this charge most fiercely if it’s a felony.

Even if you are charged with a misdemeanor, you can do up to a year in county jail and still face some of the stiffest fine penalties in the union. Don’t take any chances. The penalties for concealed carry can affect your ability to own guns in the future, so you need to take care of this as soon as possible. Only a good lawyer can resolve this in a positive way for you. Before considering defenses, we always review state laws about concealed carry. They can vary wildly so our defense will depend on the laws of your state.

Defenses For Carrying A Concealed Weapon

Sometimes the defense is that you actually DID have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Prosecutors have inadvertently charged with people who were arrested because they didn’t have their permit with them. If you do have a permit, show it to us. We will get this charge tossed out easily. If you didn’t have a permit, it becomes trickier, but there are still tricks of the trade that can get your charge dropped or reduced to something less serious. If you didn’t know the law, we might be able to use that to your advantage during a trial. It’s always best to know gun laws for your state before you handle a gun at all, but not everyone does this and it’s sometimes understandable. Many of the laws are fast changing and confusing to the average gun owner.

Sometimes police are guilty of misconduct that can also get your charge thrown out of court. Our defense team is aggressively on the side of justice every time, and we’ll do anything it takes to make sure that our clients get a fair and impartial trial or plea bargain.

How Our Lawyers Can Help You

A concealed carry charge can sometimes be a felony, especially if you were carrying the weapon in the commission of a violent offense. We can take on your case no matter what the circumstances of your case were. While getting your charges dropped altogether is the ideal, we always have other altneratives, such as seeking to prove you not guilty in a jury trial OR attempting to get a great plea bargain for you that keeps you out of prison and keeps a felony off your record. Call us today for a free consultation and learn about all the ways we can help you.