• Legal gun owner arrested after reporting it stolen
TRENTON » He did the right thing by reporting a crime.
But now a city man who legally owned a gun faces charges for not having a permit to carry the weapon after he reported it as stolen.
“The gun was legally registered, but he did not have a permit to carry it,” Lt. Stephen Varn said.
Victor Rodriguez, 34, legally owned a handgun that two suspects stole when they robbed him at gunpoint around 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Rodriguez told police he visited a friend in the 1100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and was walking back to his car when two men approached him. One of the suspects pointed a shotgun at him, officials say, and the other pulled out a knife.
The robbers then took Rodriguez’s coat, which contained cash, and stole his handgun, which was tucked in his waistband.
The suspects fled in a vehicle after taking the property, according to police.
After reporting the crime, Rodriguez was taken to police headquarters, where cops charged him with possession of a weapon due to the fact that he did not have a permit to carry a handgun.
While citizens may purchase handguns in New Jersey, a permit to carry one is rarely issued to the general public. Applicants must show an urgent necessity to carry a gun for self-protection. However, restricted permits limited to carrying while on duty are granted to armed security guards and armored car drivers.
Rodriguez has been released from police custody with a summons to later appear in court.