Many people in Philadelphia own guns, some legally and some illegally. While the Second Amendment of the United States’ Constitution protects a person’s right to bear arms, the law states that in order to do so you must have a valid permit. If a person has a permit and no other disqualifiers, then it is perfectly legal for them to own and possess a gun. However, if people do not have a valid permit they may face gun charges, if they are caught with a gun.
A man was recently charged with a couple of felony gun charges after an incident involving a family argument. The man allegedly pulled out a handgun during the incident and pointed it at people. The police were called and the man ran. He was eventually caught by the police and they allegedly retrieved the handgun that police say the man pulled out during the incident. The man was charged with two gun charges based on allegedly not having a valid permit for the gun and being a person not allowed to possess a gun.
If people are convicted on a gun charge, they face serious consequences. There are mandatory minimum jail sentences for people convicted of certain gun charges, even if it is their first offense. The person also most likely would not be able to possess a gun for a period of time or the rest of that person’s life depending on the charge.
There are defenses to gun charges though and a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. For instance the police must legally stop and seize the gun from the person. If the search was illegal then the evidence may be suppressed and the evidence of the gun cannot be used, making a conviction unlikely.
Many people in Philadelphia face gun charges each year. While the consequences, if convicted, are serious, there are defenses available depending on the facts of the case.
Source: ABC 27, “Lebanon man arrested on heroin, gun charges,” Myles Snyder, Mar. 27, 2014
