BY ANTHONY O’REILLY
A professional boxer is getting ready for a fight with the judicial system after being arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Robert Guerrero, current WBC welterweight champion, was arrested on Thursday after he presented a locked gun box to a JFK ticket agent containing a pistol and three high capacity bullet magazines, all of which were unloaded at the time.
Guerrero is charged with one count of criminal possession of a firearm and three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
“I hope that Mr. Guerrero fights better than he thinks. For anyone who hasn’t gotten the message, let me be crystal clear. You cannot bring an unlicensed weapon – loaded or unloaded – into this county or this city. And if you do you will be arrested and face felony charges,” Brown said in a statement.
Earlier this year, New York passed the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, one of the strictest gun laws passed in the country. Under the law, it is a penalty to illegally possess an unloaded firearm in the state.
“It is therefore more important than ever that if a passenger chooses to travel with a weapon, they should first acquaint themselves with the weapon laws of the jurisdiction that they are visiting and comply with any and all legal requirements,” Brown said. “Otherwise, they may find themselves being arrested and charged with a felony, as is what occurred in this case.”
Guerrero, 30 of Gilroy, California,was released on his own recognizance and will appear in court on May 14. If convicted he faces up to seven years in prison.
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