Meredith Graves, Tourist From Tennessee, Arrested For Bringing Pistol To 9/11 Memorial

Attention tourists coming to New York: don't bring your guns.

WABC reports 39-year-old Meredith Graves, a fourth-year medical student in town from Tennessee last week for a job interview, tried to check her gun during a visit to the 9/11 memorial. She'd noticed a sign that said "No guns allowed," and asked a guard where she could check the loaded .32 caliber pistol she'd been carrying in her purse.

The guard led Graves to a police officer who promptly arrested her. Although Graves has a license for the weapon in Tennessee, New York's gun laws are much stricter.

The New York Post reports Graves was locked up on a weapons-possession charge and held on $2,000 bond that she posted Wednesday. She's due back in court on March 19th.

Graves faces a minimum 3 1/2 years in prison for the mix up.

"You'd think states would reciprocate with the Second Amendment. She has a license to carry in Tennessee," Graves' mother-in-law, who wished not to be named, told The Post. "Everyone down there carries, and she just forgot. She was being honest, and this is the treatment they give innocent people."

There is, however, a promising precedent for Graves' plight.

In February, a jury acquitted Floridian Jonathan Ryan of weapons possession charges. Ryan had driven up to New York to help his girlfriend move. After being pulled over turning right at a red light (another thing that's illegal here in the Big Apple) cops searched his car and found a loaded weapon.

Ryan had a license for the weapon in Florida and also faced 3 1/2 years in prison before the jury acquitted him.

Mayor Bloomberg has made out-of-state guns one of his major issues. It was an out-of-state gun that recently killed police officer Peter Figoski.

Comments

[BklynToVegas610]

09:38 PM on 01/26/2012

I am in no way justifying her arrest, and as a born and bred Brooklynite who WAS also a NY licensed gun owner of rifles, shotguns and pistols I am in full support of national right to carry. I believe these draconian laws should be overturned. That being said, I find myself shocked for the most part when I hear these stories of people bringing guns into the State or City without knowing the law. With all the press the last several years about Bloomberg and MAIG, and more recently National Reciprocity, it is unbelieveable any breathing conscious soul living in the US would not know that carry across state lines varies in legality. Do these folks live under rocks? Am I being too harsh there?

Any basic inquiry on the net would present a similar result. IDK, maybe it is because I was a gun owner from NYC I was more privy and attuned to the matter. Regardless, I moved from NY to NV this past July because I believe in gun rights and the ability to protect myself extends outside my home, as my NYC pistol permit was only valid in my residence. i.e if I was on the way to a gun range and was a victim of deadly force I could not legally use my gun... Not that it would have been accesible since it had to be locked, cased, and empty...

[hoho5973]

02:16 PM on 01/18/2012

It's chilling how something like this can happen in America. This poor woman's life is being destroyed all in the name of politics........what a sham! I think she is owed a little common sense and an apoligy from the local bullies in NY........I am SO glad I live down South!

[lookin]

11:15 PM on 01/02/2012

New York should get with the program and honor out of state concealed carry permits. They would be surprised to find that most out of state permit requirements are no different than those of New York. The drive should be to get those that are not comparable to get in line.

[danspost]

12:27 PM on 01/02/2012

She should sue NY for violating full faith and credit. Her TN drivers license is legal in NY; her TN gun license should be, too.

[John Shaw]

11:40 PM on 01/11/2012

Although I agree with your sentiment that this is a travesty of common sense, that's not how the full faith and credit clause works....

[jentastic]

10:23 PM on 01/01/2012

From the 9/11 Memorial Website:
"The 9/11 Memorial is a place of solemn reflection dedicated to honoring and remembering the tragic events and the overwhelming loss of innocent life. Given the unique nature of the site and the tragedy that occurred here, proper decorum, personal behavior and conduct is required at all times in order to provide all visitors with respect and with an opportunity to reflect personally on the events that took place on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993."

Just don't bring your gun. And if you find that you DID indeed bring your loaded gun, read the fine print. It probably doesn't say "Of course we would be happy to hold on to your loaded weapon".

[hart42rich]

11:47 AM on 01/01/2012

There are rules and regulations that one must follow when going through other states when in possession of a weapon, in general locked and inaccessible to the the passengers in the vehicle with ammo in a separate location. In general long guns (rifles and shotguns) should be treated the same when in doubt. The northeast, Maryland and Delaware to me are the ones I would watch out for. By northeast I mean NJ, NY, CT, MA and RI I would not travel with a handgun. New York for one you will be violating the law if you are too tired to travel and go to a motel or even stop in a rest area for sleep, going off the Main road may get you in trouble. The Traveler's Guide to the Firearms Laws of the Fifty States Is an excellent source of information on state laws and reciprocity between states. http://www.gunlaws.com/travel.htm

[OdinsEye]

01:50 PM on 01/01/2012

"New York for one you will be violating the law if you are too tired to travel and go to a motel or even stop in a rest area for sleep, going off the Main road may get you in trouble. "

While New York may try to prosecute, any appeal to federal court will overturn the state so fast that the state won't know what hit them. Plus, any subsequent lawsuit by the person against the state for damages and expenditures is darn near sure to win.

The FOPA clearly protects those who stop for necessities such as gas, bathrooms, food (nothing fancy), or rest. Where people get into trouble is when they go outside of those restrictions and stop for longer than necessary. And while the transport of the firearms is protected so long as possession is legal in both the point of origin and destination of the trip, the method of transport has to comply with the requirements of the intermediate state.

[hart42rich]

03:13 PM on 01/01/2012

Your right on all accounts, but remember lawyers cost money. While in one jurisdiction they may let you go with a warning and to get out. But in NYC and mayor Bloomberg don't play nice at all and you probably loose your gun. New Jersey is a pain and could even be more of a problem than NY. Don't forget CT and MA both along the I95 corridor, It's like a gauntlet. Don't even think about Canada, unless you do your homework, you must apply for documents to bring a gun in and NO pistols or semi automatics and probably a slew of other restrictions. And of course no one in the right mind would want to go to Mexico. One note if traveling by air or other transit and you legally have a handgun in your luggage and get stranded between legal airports, all bets are off.

[John Shaw]

11:42 PM on 01/11/2012

...just learned something today...thanxs

[HisXLNC]

06:49 PM on 12/31/2011

Part of me believes this was not an accident on the part of Ms. Graves. Especially so soon after the arrest of Mark Meckler. I don't know a single gun owner who doesn't know how notoriously anti-gun NYC is. Maybe this is the beginning of a civil disobediance movement. Call it a "carry-in" if you will, where people intentionally break NYC's draconian laws in effort to change them.

[JimInHouston]

10:39 PM on 12/31/2011

Not my cup of tea...picking up a possible felony as an act of disobedience. You could make just as much mileage from an empty holster...drives the hoplophobes into apoplexy.

[OCerInTN]

02:00 AM on 01/01/2012

Until just now, I'd never heard the name Mark Meckler.

As far as gun owners who don't know about NYC, it is quite possible, that she isn't/wasn't interested in anything beyond having the gun. What gun owner do you know that would ever recommend off the body carry?

[PavePusher]

04:58 PM on 12/31/2011

Why do all my Constitutional Rights follow me across state borders... But not the Second?

Why does NY state and specially NYC get to deny a Constitutional Right to their citizenry and all visitors?

What is Bloomberg so afraid of that he will not give up his ARMED security guards?

[lookin]

11:19 PM on 01/02/2012

I think I just got a cause for the occupy Wall Street crowd. Honor all concealed carry permits nationally.

[hoho5973]

02:19 PM on 01/18/2012

Good luck with that. They aren't interested in guns, they just want other people's money.......

[nwerle]

03:04 PM on 12/31/2011

in state guns also kill people - MOre of them

ny is full of idiots

[eaglespark]

12:24 AM on 12/31/2011

[The Manhattan DA should show mercy to a Tennessee tourist who was busted for bringing a gun to the 9/11 Memorial, considering the weapon is registered in her home state, lawmakers and legal experts told The Post yesterday.
City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens), chairman of the Public Safety Committee, personally asked Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office not to push for the 3 1/2-year minimum sentence for Meredith Graves, 39.
“By prosecuting this woman and seeking 3 1/2 years of jail, we are shooting our own [gun-control] efforts in the foot and giving the rest of the country ammunition,” Vallone said...]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/hold_your_fire_4dW6vKJHy3GFawLPw5riDM

Vallone's choice of metaphors... ;>)

[Nanjing03]

01:15 PM on 12/31/2011

@eaglespark. Thanks, that is a very telling article. It just goes to show that enemies of the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment fear the backlash of their constant violations of our inalienable rights.

Obviously, there was no cocaine as earlier implied. Drug testing takes just minutes -- not days. Sounds like an attempt to pad or stack implied offenses to make this mole hill look like a mountain. That will backfire on them too. New York law enforcement is sadly notorious for that. Meanwhile, this good woman needs to have her record cleared and her weapon returned. Then NYC needs to ditch their archaic and draconian gun control laws and be a part of civilized society. The city of Chicago, and the state of Illinois, and parts of California, New Jersey and lower New York needs to consider the same. Enough is enough.

[Tony Jerome Edmond II]

01:41 PM on 12/31/2011

DC also

[OCerInTN]

02:01 AM on 01/01/2012

Her weapons isn't registered in TN. I know this for a fact, because we don't register weapons in Tennessee.

[Calilover Calilover]

07:10 PM on 12/30/2011

Common sense alone dictates that good people have the right to defend themselves

so which group wants to leave the good people unprotected!!?

[DannyEVillage]

07:32 PM on 12/30/2011

non sequitur.

[Calilover Calilover]

09:54 PM on 12/30/2011

not to those who have an intellectual argument to try and defeat my statement

[John Shaw]

11:46 PM on 01/11/2012

do you not understand what a non sequitur is? It's a fallacy of logic to set up a false choice between two possible outcomes...

dude...get it together...

[Calilover Calilover]

07:08 PM on 12/30/2011

The Left NY politicians are telling the DA TO DROP THE CHARGES

YA KNOW WHY??!

Because they know she will become a cause celeb and the pro gun group can make this a national debate they will win

[DannyEVillage]

07:33 PM on 12/30/2011

huh? Win what? There's not even a battle being fought. What the devil is wrong with people who are stuck on carrying guns? Criminy.

[Old Jarhead]

11:57 AM on 12/31/2011

Actually, there is "a battle being fought." Ever hear of HR822? This law, which has passed the House and is currently in the Senate, would force any state that issues a concealed handgun license to recognize the validity of every other states CHL. That would include NYC, and the entire state. If this woman is prosecuted in NYC, she will provide the best example of the inherent unfairness of almost every states laws which are different. Residents of states like AZ, who don't necessarily issue a permit, are not allowed to carry in another without a permit issued by AZ (AZ does issue permits, but it is not required withing the state to carry a handgun legally).

Before you tell me about all the traffic laws, yes they are different. But there are normally signs, painted warnings, and other highly visible indications that would guide someone. I have rarely seen signs published by a state that would indicate the status of gun laws within a state. If HR822 goes into law, it will remove the criminality of an honest mistake.

[Calilover Calilover]

12:36 AM on 01/01/2012

"not a battle being fought"

let us know when you come back to earth

[Nanjing03]

02:01 PM on 12/31/2011

She is already a celebrity. I think she will be the subject of numerous post-incident articles in print as well as online and will be instrumental in furthering the right to keep and bear arms in America -- notably the passage of HR822 at the Senate level -- and ultimately through implementation in every state and jurisdiction in America. That loud hissing sound we hear is Michael [Dear Leader] Bloomberg’s balloon getting deflated. There will be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth in the dark recesses of MAIG, VPC, and the Brady Campaign because of this. Good riddance.

[Calilover Calilover]

12:37 AM on 01/01/2012

common sense and the second amendment already guarantee us the right

agree with your post

[Nanjing03]

02:41 PM on 12/30/2011

Michael Kim Il Bloomberg (sometimes known as Dear Leader) is probably wetting his pants with delight over the violation of an out-of-state citizen's constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The people of Tennessee need to flood the NY Governor's Office and the NY State Attorney General's Office with demands for this woman's immediate release, expungment of her record and return of her weapon. A lot of us did much the same when we shamed New Jersey Governor [Rino] Christie into releasing a wrongly imprisoned Colorado man who was moving back to New Jersey with three disassembled guns in his car. As for "states rights," the 2nd Amendment is a "constitutional" right. It is not subject to different interpretations -- and misinterpretations by the various states. The language of the Constitution and the 2nd Amendment is very clear.

[Parade Keegan]

04:24 PM on 12/30/2011

Bloomberg = "Dear Leader"? Perfect! I can't stop laughing. I have a new moniker for Bloomberg, thanks. :)

[wolflover3825]

09:07 AM on 12/31/2011

How about a couple more.

Bloopers, Bloomers, Fearless Leader [Rocky and Bullwinkle Show].

[glojet]

04:58 PM on 12/30/2011

a dissembled gun in your car a lot different than bringing a loaded gun to a 9/11 memorial. this women disrespected her state and made them look bad. the 10th amendment is just as clear as the 2nd.

[Nanjing03]

05:26 PM on 12/30/2011

@glojet, the point is that there was neither any intent to commit a crime, nor was there any danger to the public in either case. In the New Jersey case, the man from Colorado, with considerate forethought, attempted to comply with the law and his efforts were still beaten by New Jersey's difficult to interpret and draconian gun laws. In the New York case, the armed citizen from Tennessee realized her error and tried to correct it -- even after the initial officer told her to just keep the weapon in her purse. It was her desire to keep within the laws of a host state that led her to ask the second officer who decided to cash in on an easy bust.

As for the 10th Amendment, it allows states to address issues not already specified in the Constitution. The 2nd Amendment is pretty specific.

[RevJimIII]

06:12 PM on 12/30/2011

The 2nd via the 14th is a lot clearer...

[Cowoak]

02:20 PM on 12/30/2011

A reasonable Judge would throw this out. The 2nd amendment is the law of the land and should be my right to concealed carry. It is a joke that some governor, mayor, or any government official can tell me where and when I can defend my life.

[glojet]

04:59 PM on 12/30/2011

nope! states rights! hopefully she will have three long years to mull this one over.

[eaglespark]

05:48 PM on 12/30/2011

"hopefully she will have three long years to mull this one over."

You want this woman to spend 3 years in jail for this? Hopefully you will "mull this one over", yourself.

[JimInHouston]

06:17 PM on 12/30/2011

"hopefully she will have three long years to mull this one over. "

Wouldn't it be nice if you got put into jail for jaywalking?

It's just that ludicrous.

[badman400]

10:24 AM on 12/30/2011

Just another reason to NEVER want to go to New York! I have a friend who just moved his family and his business out of New York because of the stupid gun laws. His wife just so happens to be a police woman.

[badman400]

03:16 PM on 12/30/2011

Distorted? You don't think of police as friends? Ever present threat? I guess life is an ever present threat, but I don't go around paranoid, just prepared. Do you own a fire extinguisher for your home? Smoke alarms? Do your friends and neighbors? Does that mean you are a "distorted" person who is paranoid of house fires? Are you and your friends a "sick litter"? You are so completely conditioned by the mainstream media to hate gun owners, that you are incapable of reason. You claim to hate gun violence, when it is really gun owners you seem to hate. Why? Owning a gun is like owning a fire extinguisher in that they both are preventative measures to save lives, just in case. 2.5 MILLION lives are saved by law abiding gun owners with guns EVERY year! Most of these without a shot even being fired. There a fact you probably won't hear on the mainstream media, since they have an agenda to condition people to fear guns. A man with a rifle is a free citizen. A man without a rifle, is a subject. Maybe now you feel differently about who is really distorted?

[eaglespark]

05:51 PM on 12/30/2011

"the ever-prese­nt threat of gun violence"

Maybe I did not read that right, but... That is "something to believe in"? Say what?

[glojet]

04:59 PM on 12/30/2011

yes please never come here.

[badman400]

05:36 PM on 12/30/2011

Not until the communists are no longer in charge.