A 52-year-old black gunsmith is facing prosecution over claims that he constructed untraceable weapons known as “ghost guns.” The gunsmith claims his apartment was raided by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents and a New York City Police Department (NYPD) SWAT team.
In a recent podcast interview on Jeff Charles’ “A Fresh Perspective,” 52-year-old Dexter Taylor explained that he is facing prosecution for purchasing multiple firearm parts online with his credit card to construct his own guns as part of his gunsmithing hobby.
According to Red State, after years of gunsmithing, Taylor was arrested in a joint operation by ATF agents and a NYPD SWAT team. The outlet reported that the ATF and SWAT team officers arrested the 52-year-old gun owner at his apartment after breaking down his door and entering his home.
The 52-year old spent a week in custody at Rikers Island and was later indicted with 37 charges by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, according to Red State. Announcing the indictment in April of 2022, Gonzalez explained that Taylor was being charged for purchasing “$10,000 worth of gun parts online to build illegal, untraceable firearms known as ghost guns.”
The indictment 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 upper receivers, casings, bullet primers and gunpowder to build ammunition and various tools commonly used to build firearms.”
The 37-count indictment included multiple charges of second, third, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, as well as charges for the criminal possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of pistol ammunition, and prohibition on unfinished frames or receivers.
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“This defendant allegedly acquired a massive arsenal of homemade ghost guns that are as real and dangerous as traditional firearms,” Gonzalez said at the time.
While Taylor does not have a criminal record and has not been charged with violent offenses, the 52-year-old could 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.” According to the outlet, the lawyer has argued that New York’s gun control laws are too restrictive and violate the Second Amendment.
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.
