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NFL Player Arrested For Trying To Board Plane With Loaded Gun
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 19, 2013
Modified Feb 19, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 19, 2013
Modified Feb 19, 2013
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When Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da’Quan Bowers arrived at LaGuardia Airport yesterday, he ran into a bit of a snag at the US Airways ticket counter. Prosecutors say a .40-caliber firearm was found in his carry-on luggage, along with a fully loaded clip. Under New York law, that's considered a loaded weapon, because both the clip and gun were in the same bag. "Mr. Bowers was flagged for holding,” a Port Authority quipped to the NY Post before adjusting his leather necktie and leaning nonchalantly against the brick wall behind him. “It’s up to line judge [Queens DA] Richard Brown to determine what the penalty will be."
Prosecutors say Bowers, 22, admitted the gun was his and that he didn't have a permit. He purchased it legally in Florida, and police sources say he flew with the gun to NYC undetected three days ago. He's charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and was released on $10,000 bail. The offense carries a sentence of between 3.5 and 15 years in prison, but Bowers's lawyer tells the Tampa Tribune, "After a full and fair investigation of the facts and circumstances regarding this registered firearm Mr. Bowers will be fully exonerated."
To be sure, Bowers isn't the only one to get tripped up thinking you could just board a plane with a loaded gun in your carry-on.As we learned in December, even if your handgun is registered in another state, you still need to register it in New York. And you definitely shouldn't be trying to board a plane with it;—just ask Tea Party leader Mark Meckler, a lawyer from California who was arrested after he tried to check his semi-automatic handgun and ammunition at LaGuardia in December.
Tagged
Da’Quan Bowers
gun laws
La Guardia
nfl
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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