A New Jersey security officer is fighting what his attorney says are bogus charges for carrying a licensed gun and ammunition the state has said is perfectly legal.
Roosevelt Twyne, 25, was arrested during a traffic stop last month after Roselle Park Police accused him of illegally carrying a firearm and being in possession of hollow-point bullets, The Washington Free Beacon reports. Twyne was initially stopped for the tint on his windows, and he soon found himself in police custody.
“He was arrested for the hollow point ammunition,” the man’s attorney, Evan Nappen told the outlet. “They then claimed he was transporting his handgun illegally. He had a permit to carry a handgun. The law … makes clear it’s illegal to transport unless you’re licensed pursuant to chapter 58. And that is precisely what a handgun carry permit is.”
Twyne was headed home from work when police stopped him Feb 8. Recalling the incident on Monday edition of “Fox & Friends,” the New Jersey man said he informed the officer he had his firearm on him.
“He asked for me to repeat that, or do I have anything to prove it?” Twyne explained. “I told him yes, I gave him all of my credentials … carry permits, license and again informed him I’m just coming home from work. I live a block away. I’m right there.”
Despite complying with “everything [the officer] asked me to do,” Twyne was instructed to step out of the car “and just got arrested from there.”
Roselle Park Police addressed the incident in a statement, saying an arrest was made after it “was determined [Mr. Twyne] wasn’t in compliance with the specifications of the law pertaining to the lawful the transportation of his firearm.”
Nappen has called BS on the “erroneous” charges, however, arguing his client had “jumped through hoops” to obtain a state carry permit and gun license. The attorney also pointed to the New Jersey State Police website where it explicitly states the ammo in question — polymer-tipped Hornady “Critical Duty” bullets issued by Twyne’s employer — aren’t considered hollow-point ammunition and are legal to posses.
Nappen said the charges were the result of New Jersey’s stringent gun laws, which some conservatives consider to be the toughest in the U.S.
“What’s happening here is the befuddlement of New Jersey gun laws,” he told Fox News’ Steve Doocy. “You hear a lot about victims of gun violence; what we don’t hear about are [the] victims of gun laws — the laws being so convoluted and so messed up in terms of trying to do the right thing.”
Twyne said his life has been upended by the incident, adding that he’s been placed on suspension at work due to the pending charges.
“It’s a little hard right now trying to find something to keep me on my feet right now,” he said.
The New Jersey man and his lawyer say they won’t give up in getting the charges against him dismissed.
“He’s done absolutely nothing wrong,” Nappen said. “He’s absolutely within the law. We’re hoping that the state comes to their senses and sees that this isn’t the person they should be prosecuting.”
Twyne’s case will be heard next month in New Jersey Superior Court.