New York Judge Says 2nd Amendment 'Doesn't Exist in This Courtroom'

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A Brooklyn man has been convicted of 13 weapons charges after having been arrested and charged in 2022 for building his own firearms. Dexter Taylor’s ordeal could become a landmark Second Amendment case in light of the Bruen ruling handed down in the same year.

The jury found Taylor guilty of second-degree criminal possession of a loaded weapon, four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, five counts of criminal possession of a firearm, second-degree criminal possession of five or more firearms, unlawful possession of pistol ammunition, violation of certificate of registration, prohibition on unfinished frames or receivers. Two lesser charges, including third-degree criminal possession of three or more firearms and third-degree possession of a weapon, were not voted on.

Taylor, a 52-year-old New York native and a software engineer, discovered the world of gunsmithing years ago. He decided to take it up as a hobby and possibly turn it into a business later. However, when a joint ATF/NYPD task force discovered he was legally buying parts from various companies, they opened up an investigation that led to a SWAT raid and arrest.

He is currently being jailed on Rikers Island as he awaits sentencing. Taylor’s conviction highlights the ongoing battle for gun rights. During an interview with Vinoo Varghese, Taylor’s defense lawyer, he detailed how Taylor’s trial proceeded and highlighted a distinct bias in favor of the prosecution.

In an interview prior to his conviction, Taylor told RedState:

I found out that you can actually legally buy a receiver and you can machine that receiver to completion, and you buy your parts and you put them together and you’ve got a pistol or a rifle. And once I saw that I was hooked. I was like, ‘This is the coolest thing ever. This is the most cool thing you could possibly do in your machine shop.’

From the beginning of Taylor’s trial, it was evident that the court would be biased against the defendant, according to Varghese, who explained that two judges presided over his case before the current official, Judge Abena Darkeh, took over.

The judge disrupted Varghese’s opening statement multiple times as he tried to set the stage for Taylor’s defense. Even further, she admonished the defense to refrain from mentioning the Second Amendment during the trial. Varghese told RedState:

She told us, ‘Do not bring the Second Amendment into this courtroom. It doesn’t exist here. So you can’t argue Second Amendment. This is New York.'

Varghese said he had filed the appropriate paperwork to “preserve these arguments for appeal” but that the judge "rejected these arguments, and she went out of her way to limit me.”

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An "arsenal" of ghost guns was discovered at the home of a Brooklyn man, accused of buying gun parts worth thousands and constructing the untraceable firearms.

County prosecutors say the man had four assault weapons, five handguns and four rifles completing assembled and stashed in his Bushwick apartment when authorities executed a search warrant on April 6.

Dexter Taylor, 51, was arraigned Friday in Brooklyn Supreme Court on a 37-count indictment. Attorney information for the man was not immediately known.

“This defendant allegedly acquired a massive arsenal of homemade ghost guns that are as real and dangerous as traditional firearms," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

In addition to the 13 completed firearms, officials found rifle and pistol magazines, casings, bullet primers and gunpower "to build ammunition and various tools commonly used to build firearms."

Police investigators determined Taylor ordered "ghost gun kits" from online sellers and had them shipped to his Brooklyn apartment, according to prosecutors.

"By assembling guns from kits, unfinished parts, or 3D printed components, those who possess ghost guns evade critically important background checks and registration requirements, and because they have no serial number they are untraceable," Gonzalez added.

State and federal officials have targeted these type of guns turning up at crime scenes in increasing numbers, including in the Bronx where police believe a suspect used a ghost gun in the slaying of a 16-year-old honor student.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration unveiled a new rule to change the definition of a firearm and will require federal firearms dealers to add serial numbers to ghost guns that come their way.

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