The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is set to revoke Donald Trump’s license to carry a concealed gun after the former US president was found guilty on 34 felony charges last week, CNN has reported, citing a senior police official.
Trump obtained a concealed carry permit in New York a decade ago and had three pistols registered under it, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
According to the police official, the permit was “quietly” suspended on April 1, 2023, following the former president’s indictment on criminal charges.
A day before, Trump handed two of his guns over to the NYPD, while his third pistol “was lawfully moved to Florida,” he said.
Under federal and state law in both New York and Florida, it is illegal for people with felony convictions to possess firearms. It is unclear if the presumptive Republican presidential nominee still owns a gun in Florida.
The NYPD’s Legal Bureau will complete an investigation into Trump’s possession of the third pistol “that will likely lead to revocation of his license,” the source claimed.
The former president would still have the right to legally challenge any revocation.
In a statement issued after the report by CNN, Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, claimed that “[US President Joe] Biden’s cronies in the Democrat Party are panicked and have chosen to continue to abuse our once great justice system to pursue their number one political opponent and interfere in the coming election.”
Last Friday, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, becoming the first US president to ever be convicted of a felony. The trial was related to supposed ‘hush money’ payments he made to porn actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, and the alleged altering of paperwork to conceal them.
The 77-year-old has denied the accusations, branding the case a politically motivated “witch hunt,” and dismissing the trial as “rigged” and “disgraceful.”
The former president’s sentencing has been scheduled for July 11. Trump has claimed he is “OK” with serving potential jail time or being placed under house arrest. He has insisted that the “real verdict” will be delivered by the public in the presidential election on November 5.