The New York State Attorney General’s office and New York State Police say that their offices have charged three local men on multiple counts stemming from a two-year long investigation into the illegal sales of assault weapons in Western New York.
Officials say the charges stem from illegal sales of more than 100 assault rifles at Jackson Guns and Ammo in Henrietta. That business had been a licensed firearm dealer and it was owned and operated by 40 year old Kordell Jackson of West Henrietta. He also employed 30 year old Ken Youngren of Alfred and 28 year old Joshua Perkins of Irondequoit.
Each of the men face multiple felony charges including criminal sale of a firearm.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says that each of the assault weapons violates provisions of New York’s SAFE Act.
“The tragedies in Orlando, Newtown, Aurora, and too many other communities across the country are clear signs that we need to get our national gun violence epidemic under control. It's time for Congress to heed the call of the American public and finally enact a national ban on the ban of assault weapons.”
Attorneys for Jackson say that the SAFE act is too vaguely worded and potentially make every law-abiding citizen a criminal. Jackson's gun shop went out of business in January of 2015.
Jackson is being represented by attorneys Paul Ciminelli and Patricia Marks. Ciminelli is saying that New York's Safe Act is too vaguely worded and that's something that Marks, a former county judge now working with Ciminelli, also has concerns about.
She is also concerned about the way Jackson is being portrayed in the attorney general's press release.
"I think it's important because there's a lot of pressure in public issues and there's a danger that the individual rights of Kordell Jackson will be overcome by the power of what's happening politically; it's not about the second amendment or about gun control, it's about fundamental fairness in understanding what the law prohibits,” Marks told WXXI News.
Jackson's gun shop went out of business in January of 2015. He is a licensed security guard and works at various part-time security jobs including one day a week at WXXI.
Following the arraignments, Jackson and Perkins each pleaded not guilty. The charges will be presented to a grand jury. Each is being held on $25,000 cash bail or bond. They are expected to post bond on Friday.
Youngren was expected to turn himself in.
