Charles Foehner, a 65-year-old man, has been charged with 8 counts of illegal weapons possession after defending himself in New York City. The retired doorman was near the front entrance of his apartment building when he was accosted by 32-year-old Cody Gonzalez. The interaction appeared to be an attempted mugging. Foehner had a gun and shot Gonzalez multiple times in self-defense after he lunged at him. While Foehner is not being charged in the death of Gonzalez, he is being hit with gun charges due to the weapon he used that night being unlicensed.
Police were able to find 30 other weapons, fully loaded magazines, boxed ammunition, and bulletproof vests in Charles Foehner’s home. Apparently, the “unlicensed” weapon Foehner used that night was the gateway to search his home. Pictures of the weapons don’t show anything beyond the ordinary guns that a senior citizen would have in his possession. Nothing appears to be obtained illegally. The problem is that NYC requires licenses for weapons, which Foehner mostly did not have, as he had been collecting guns for many years.
This case comes days after a couple of high-profile self-defense cases in which the defender became criminalized. The first (of recent) such cases to gain notoriety was with Daniel Penny and the so-called “chokehold.” The other was with Jordan Williams, who defended his girlfriend after a man punched her in the face. Both cases happened on the platform, unlike the most recent case with the 65-year-old senior citizen. The most recent case took place in front of the man’s home, where he should feel the safest.
SOURCES:
NYC man who fatally shot would-be mugger had arsenal of 30 guns
