Albany takes aim at rifles, vests & ammo
Fla. boy’s home cache
The father of a 10-year-old Florida boy accused of threatening to shoot up his school broke down in tears Tuesday as he struggled to grasp his son’s shocking arrest — while authorities confirmed guns were found in the family home.
“At this point, I don’t feel comfortable saying anything because I don’t want to make a mistake,” an emotional Dereck Marquez told The Post through sobs when asked about allegations his son, Daniel Issac Marquez, threatened to attack Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral.
Marquez, 35, mentioned hiring an attorney for his son before shutting down the interview.
“I would appreciate not talking right now,” the crying father said. “When I feel comfortable, I will definitely call you.”
Marquez told Lee County deputies he was “expecting to meet with law enforcement” after being made aware of the text-message shooting threat allegedly sent by his son, according to an arrest report.
Daniel, meanwhile, had access to guns at his home in Cape Coral, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told The Post during an interview Tuesday.
“There were guns in his household,” Marceno said, adding they were legally owned by Daniel’s father. “I don’t know exactly how they’re stored, but understand, making that threat, there are firearms in the house, so that brings a whole different dynamic as well.”
Daniel allegedly shared a Google image of four AR-style rifles he said he bought and told his buddy to “get ready for water day” — referencing a schoolsponsored event in which students partake in water activities.
“The last thing we want to do is put a 10-year-old or a juvenile in handcuffs, that’s the last thing we want to do,” Marceno continued. “But I have to be consistent with that message, and that is: Fake threat, real consequence. I’m going back to the old school.”
Daniel will remain in juvenile detention for 21 days. His family has hired an attorney ahead of a June 13 court date, Marceno said.
Democrats in Albany are slated to pass legislation this week imposing new restrictions on semiautomatic rifles, bulletproof vests and large-capacity magazines following deadly mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas.
“New York already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country but clearly we need to make them even stronger,” Gov. Hochul said in a release on the measures.
One of 10 bills in the package would ban sales of semi-automatic rifles to people under age 21 despite a recent federal court ruling that overturned such a law in California.
“Anything is possible, but we are here to move forward with this first step,” bill sponsor state Sen. Kevin Thomas (D-Long Island) said of possible legal challenges.
New Yorkers would also have to get licenses to buy or come into possession of semi-automatic rifles under the proposal, similar to current state requirements to have a handgun.
Another proposal would require police and district attorneys to seek an Extreme Risk Protection Order under the state red flag law when faced with potential threats.
Other proposed bills, expected to pass this week, would ban sales of bulletproof vests to people outside certain professions like law enforcement and close an existing loophole prosecutors say prevents them from charging people who possess illegal gun magazines.