A 52-year-old dark smith is facing charges for making’ghost guns,” anonymous weapons. The gunsmith claims that a SWAT team from the New York City Police Department ( NYPD ) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms ( ATF ) agents raided his apartment.
Dexter Taylor, 52, explained in a recent podcast interview on Jeff Charles ‘” A Clean Perspective” that he faces legal consequences for using his credit card to buy multiple firearm pieces online to build his own weapons as a hobby gunsmith.
After centuries of being a gunsmith, Taylor was detained by ATF officials and a SWAT team, according to Red State. The 52-year-old firearm user was detained by ATF and SWAT team officials at his house after breaking down his door and entering his house, according to the report.
According to Red State, the 52-year-old was detained for a year at Rikers Island before being detained by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez on 37 counts. Gonzalez explained that Taylor was being accused of purchasing”$ 10,000 for of gun pieces online to create illegal, anonymous firearms known as spirit guns” when he announced the accusation in April 2022. ”
The prosecution noted that a search warrant was executed on Taylor’s apartment and that investigators found “four completed assault weapons, five completed handguns, four completed rifles, eight lower receivers for rifles, five lower receivers for handguns, four rifle magazines, seven pistol magazines, four higher receivers, casings, bullet primers and gunpowder to create ammunition and several tools frequently used to create firearms. ”
The 37-count accusation included several charges of second, third, and fourth-degree legal ownership of a tool, as well as charges for the legal custody of a rifle, unlawful possession of handgun ammunition, and prohibition on empty frames or receivers.
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Gonzalez claimed at the time that this defendant reportedly had a large army of homemade ghost weapons that were just as dangerous and real as those used in traditional weapon.
While Taylor does not have a legal document and has not been charged with harsh acts, the 52-year-old may face up to 18 years in prison if he is convicted, according to Red State.
Vinoo Varghese, Taylor’s lawyer, told Red State that “there was no criminal intent on [ Taylor’s ] part. The attorney has argued that New York’s gun control regulations are very limiting and violate the Second Amendment, according to the store.
Taylor’s lawyer explained that while judges have dismissed “defendant’s Second Amendment claims ” in similar cases because the defendants did not apply for a license, it would have been “futile ” for Taylor to apply for a license since he had “less than four percent chance of getting a gun license ” due to New York’s strict gun control legislation.
