NYC councilwoman Inna Vernikov arrested for carrying gun at Palestine protest https://t.co/QhuS3U2dnr pic.twitter.com/nnQEMDFPAw
— New York Post (@nypost) October 13, 2023
The people who have been marching in support of the Palestinian terrorists who butchered more than 1,200 men, women, and children in Israel over the weekend may be doing and saying vile things in support of some of the worst people on the face of the Earth, but the Constitution protects their right to do so. Guaranteeing that right is every bit as important as defending and extending gun rights under the Second Amendment.
Many of us may have to stifle our collective gag reflex when we see and hear what the great minds are saying in Harvard Yard, but again, they have every right to express their noxious, contemptible opinions. Just as employers will someday have every right not to hire them as a result.
While those who choose to blame Israel for the murder of their own citizens by Hamas terrorists have every right to express that opinion, people with opposing views have the right to say so, too. That happened yesterday on the campus of CUNY-Brooklyn. One of those protesting against the Hamas supporters at Brooklyn College was New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov…who appeared while openly carrying a handgun.
The Second Amendment is one of the civil rights the city of New York doesn’t fully recognize. Vernikov surely knew that, but apparently wanted it to be known by all who were there that she was carrying.
As The New York Post reports . . .
Republican Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov was arrested Thursday when she was spotted toting a firearm at a rally to support Palestine — resulting in calls for her to be removed from office.
The councilwoman, who is Jewish and has spoken out against pro-Palestine supporters, was in attendance as protesters convened on the campus of CUNY’s Brooklyn College Thursday.
“[Vernikov] was observed with the but-end [sic] of a firearm (handgun) protruding from the front portion of her pants” while observing the protest between noon and 2:45 p.m. Thursday, police sources told The Post.
She’s been charged for carrying a firearm on school grounds. New York’s former mayor, for one, was absolutely appalled . . .
Who does that??
I thought I’d seen everything… https://t.co/hcILmC33aZ— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) October 13, 2023
Vernikov handed over her gun and permit to police when she turned her self in and was arrested.
“At no point in time was anyone menaced or injured as a result of her possessing the firearm at the earlier protest,” police sources told The Post.
Although Vernikov has a concealed carry permit, it is illegal in New York State to have a firearm at sensitive locations such as protests or school grounds.
In other words, Vernikov violated New York’s Bruen response law that now designates most of the city as a “sensitive place.” It was enacted after the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision was handed down as a middle finger raised to those who would like the Second Amendment to actually mean something in the city.
The law — like others around the country — is in clear violation of the Bruen decision and is currently being challenged in federal court.
So Councilwoman Vernikov was arrested for exercising her Second Amendment rights at the same time she exercised her First Amendment rights. That’s apparently still illegal right now in states like New York, but it may not be once the courts have had their say. It will be fascinating to see how far she’s willing to take this.
