The New York City Police Department’s gun licensing division — according to a former employee with knowledge of the office — pulled back on the number of carry permits the division issues and found more reasons to deny applicants their gun permits.
Following the eruption of a bribery and corruption scandal in the gun licensing division of the city that first surfaced two years ago, five individuals, including now former NYPD officers and a city official have been charged with fast-tracking New York City gun licenses for certain applicants through bribery schemes.
“So now, it’s really swung the pendulum swung the other way, and in a bad way, because now I’m hearing hardly anybody is getting approved for a carry. Hardly anybody,” the source told The Daily Caller. “If anything, they’re getting [limited carrys], if at all, anything.”
Local law enforcement officials say New York Newsday reported last year that more than 100 gun licenses were expedited through these schemes. Two weeks ago, the division’s former second in command, Paul Dean, a former lieutenant for the NYPD, pled guilty to committing bribery. According to The Daily Caller’s former NYPD employee source, not only was that lieutenant “taking money” to fast-track licenses; others in the division were doing so, as well.
“The lieutenant is going to jail. The lieutenant was taking money. The sergeant* — they were all selling licenses, allegedly. This [new] guy, here, he’s got a tight rein on the place.”
The commanding officer at the division is Inspector Michael Barreto, who was appointed by Police Commissioner Bill Bratton to head up the office after the scandal broke in 2016.
According to the former NYPD source, Barreto decided the division would begin to deny carry permits based on what he believes to be bad driving records and late child support payments, which Baretto related to “good moral character,” the source said.
“Now, they added a driver’s license suspension check. And now it’s driver’s license summons check. They added the fact that you now have to, at your own expense, supply them a [driver’s] license — to the license division — a lifetime abstract of your driver’s license,” said the former NYPD employee, noting that excessive minor traffic violations are being seriously considered when a gun permit is being issued.
“He added the parking summonses. He added the moving summonses … Now, you have to now explain why you got four summonses or three summonses when you were 19. Maybe you got a speeding summons in Texas.”
The former employee also said the gun division could have issues with a carry applicant if that individual owes at least three months of back child support.
“[Barreto] is making his own rules. He’s making his own laws and the higher-ups are just letting him because they feel it’s better than our previous bad press.”
The Daily Caller sent an inquiry related to the claims made by this former employee to the NYPD’s Public Information Office and is waiting on a response.
Kerry Picket is a correspondent for NRATV and host on SiriusXM Patriot 125
*This quote has been updated to clarify the context.
