Posted on 04/23/2011 11:47:28 AM PDT by neverdem
Nine people arrested in total following an undercover investigation into the sale of assault weapons at gun shops throughout Nassau County.
The owner of a New Hyde Park business and his son were among nine people arrested following an undercover investigation into the sale of assault weapons at gun shops throughout the county, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced Thursday.
Bellmore residents Martin Tretola, 55, owner of T&T Gunnery in Seaford and T&T Tactical in New Hyde Park and his son Thomas Tretola, 24, who is also one of his father's employees, were both arrested as a result of the investigation.
Three other employees of Tretola's shops were also arrested.
During the 10-month probe, four Nassau County gun shops illegally sold assault weapons to undercover DA investigators and members of the New York State Police, Rice said. As a result of the investigation, Rice's office has arrested and charged four store owners and five of their employees.
Under New York State law, only police officers, peace officers, and duly authorized members of the military are legally permitted to possess assault weapons.
One category of an assault weapon is defined as a semi-automatic rifle with the ability to accept a magazine carrying more than five rounds of ammunition and that must also have at least two additional characteristics. These additional characteristics can include a folding or telescoping stock, a protruding pistol grip, a bayonette mount, a flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor, or a grenade launcher.
Rice said that shop owners were breaking the law by temporarily modifying the weapons to appear as though they lacked the required characteristics of an assault weapon. However, the temporary modification was easily reversible, thereby making them full-fledged assault weapons. For example, a pin was placed in the stock of a weapon in an attempt to prevent its collapse. However, the pins were designed to be easily removable making the stock collapsible.
Rice said Martin Tretola went so far as to demonstrate to undercover officers how to remove the temporary pin from the fixed stock making it collapsible. Both T&T Gunnery and Hunter Sports were on notice that civilians who purchased these weapons from their stores had been arrested and charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon in both Nassau and Suffolk counties, but they continued to sell these weapons.
"The nine men arrested today were openly breaking the law, making a practice of putting profits before the safety of our citizens, and flooding our streets with dangerous assault weapons," Rice said. "Make no mistake, these are combat-specific weapons and not intended for hunting. They have no place on our streets or in the hands of civilians."
Martin Tretola, the owner of two gun shops in Nassau County, is charged with Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Second Degree, Unlawfully Disposing of an Assault Weapon, and a misdemeanor violation of the Firearms Licensing Provisions. T&T Tactical was charged with Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First and Second Degrees. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
Martin Tretola's Seaford business, T&T Gunnery, has been charged with Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First and Second Degrees. His New Hyde Park business, T&T Tactical, along with the following defendants and businesses are charged with Unlawfully Disposing of an Assault Weapon and a misdemeanor violation of the Firearms Licensing Provision. Each individual defendant faces up to seven years in prison and each business faces up to a $10,000 fine per felony or double the company's gain from the criminal conduct.
Four of Martin Tretola's employees were also charged as follows:
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
>Therein we have the big lie! Probably this makes 80% of the long gun owners in the U.S. criminals in the eyes of NY.
Assault weapon definition soon to include the pickup truck and SUV...<
A pick up truck and SUV along with any other motor vehicle is defined as a “dangerous instrument” in New York ..
so they beat you to it
Sounds like a good reason to leave those tyrannical Police States and move to the Free United States.
You can buy and sell good semi-auto rifles all day long down here in the Peach State without worrying about a squad of goose-stepping jackboots tossing you in jail.
While the NYS police are on the hunt for collapsing-stock rifles, a serial killer has dumped at least 10 bodies in the weeds along Long Island’s roadways. Great allocation of police presence, eh? What a bunch of morons.....
Do New Yorkers actually believe this shit? Does anyone?
I'm afraid maybe most do. Towns mentioned in the story, Seaford and New Hyde Park, are in or near Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy's district. IIRC, she wants to sponsor some gun grabbing bill in the House. The fools keep electing clowns like Chuck U Schumer and Bloomberg. Even Giuliani was a statist gun grabber. There are exceptions all over the state, but as a general rule only folks from north of NYC are usually good for RKBA.
T&T Tactical Is Fundraising for Legal Defense (NY)
Inmate gets organ transplant evaluation (child rapist, and you're picking up the tab)
NYC board: Trump hasn't voted in primary since '89
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
“There’s no controlling legal authority.”
Who’s in violation of the Constitution?
These folks ae going to have the building fall on them. Nassau County’s law enforcement elements, the PD, DA, Crime Lab have been bungling their way to total incompetence.This will give the incompetent DA, Susan Rice, a chaance for media glory, and she hopes, save her pathetic career.
Dang! Back in the Tammany Hall days only the ballot box was considered a "dangerous instrument".
I believe “fella” meant that the definition of an assault
rifle includes the ability to switch from semi to fully auto.
Most New Yorkers are in favor of making felons out of people who put plastic grips onto otherwise legal rifles, or remove a pin from a fixed rifle stock to allow it to be shortened by an inch. People who do such things risk several years incarcerated in New York prisons.
However, criminals on Wall Street steal trillions from New Yorkers, get away with it scott-free, and nobody really pays much attention to it.
You really have to wonder about what the hell goes on in New York for people to be trained to think like that.
Let's face it, no one in the FedGov... elected or otherwise, has the "publics" best interests at heart.
Regardless of Party affiliation.
Because to many, the FedGov is probably viewed as the heart and soul of the Country.
The Country needs more Constitutional rebels.
The beginning of a new witch hunt. They will be exonerated, though the gov’t will bankrupt them; their real intent..
I wish I could move, But the wife is not ready to.
Wow, that would be a tough jury to sit on. You want to deny the conviction so there's some consequences to dishonest enforcement, and eventually they'll learn they have to do it right or there's no point in doing it at all, but you don't want to let the [private] scumbags off, either.
Beleive me it was a tough jury. Although it was inviting to let the scumbags off just to slap the damn DEA, meth is so bad it over powered the gubmint stupidity and we sailed the meth scumbags down the river.
It was funny the US Atty prosecuting would sigh and roll his eyes at the stuipdity and outlandishness of the DEA “agents” during their testimony.
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