If you want to understand why Democrats cannot be allowed to make firearm policy in this country, you do not have to look any further than right here in Queens. Amidst a rise in crime following the George Floyd riots in the summer of 2020, and an absolutely inept mayor, we saw the ability of police to keep streets safe diminish. New York State, with the heavy backing of some imbecile named Zohran Mamdani, passed a series of bail reform laws that allowed those accused of certain crimes to be released without bail. (Side note: One of those offenses is dismembering a corpse.) So, of course, crime went up. When the punishment for committing a crime is being released to the streets, what is deterring a person from committing a crime?
Please meet 67-year-old Charles Foehner. Foehner lives right here in Kew Gardens, and two years ago he was walking home - right across Queens Boulevard from the Queens County Criminal Courthouse - when he was confronted by Cody Gonzalez, a man with about a dozen prior arrests. Unfortunately for Gonzalez, that was the last decision he ever made, because the man he was attempting to mug was carrying a pistol. Fortunately for Foehner, there were video cameras in the area that captured the attempted mugging, so he was vindicated in his use of deadly force. Why is this fortunate? Because it is guaranteed that, but for the surveillance video proving his innocence, Queens DA Melinda Katz would have gone after him for homicide.
Firstly, Gonzalez was not carrying a weapon - he was attempting to hold up Foehner with a pen. You see, Gonzalez would have been portrayed as an innocent, unarmed bystander who was mowed down by a gun-wielding psycho. The second problem for Foehner was that his gun was not registered, and he did not have a permit for it. Thankfully, the combination of the surveillance video and the family of Gonzalez not blaming Foehner for using deadly force forced the Queens DA to not charge Foehner with any crime in connection with the death of Gonzalez.
But this did not sit well with the Queens DA. “How can we just allow a man to protect himself from a violent threat?” they thought back at the office. “I know!” one young attorney probably shouted. “We can break down his door and search his apartment for unlicensed firearms.” So, it was decided. Despite Foehner having a license for several firearms in his possession, the DA chose to go after him for possessing other ones unlawfully.
Here’s the irony: When searching for Gonzalez’s criminal history, most outlets report between 12 and 15 arrests. Nobody discusses what came out of those arrests. Interestingly, the arrests were often for robbery, a crime that is not bail-eligible in New York, thanks in no small part to Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo. You see, robbery, like the attempt that Gonzalez was making in his last moments on earth, is not considered violent. But not filling out the paperwork for firearms is treated as a severely violent offense that got Charles Foehner a hefty bail set at $50,000.
Let me ask you a question: Which of the following two men would you feel safe living near? The 67-year-old retired doorman with no criminal history, who protected himself against a mugger with lethal force—or a 15-time arrestee with a history of mental illness, whose own family agreed he deserved to die? According to Queens DA Melinda Katz, Foehner is the far more dangerous individual. She would rather you be mugged than have a man exist with unlicensed weapons.
If you needed yet another reason to distrust the Democrats in this town, you now have it. Career criminals are given more leeway than upstanding citizens defending themselves from said career criminals.
Izzo Zwiren is the former host of the Jewish Living Podcast. Follow him and his brothers on their health journey on their YouTube Channel, Brotherly Lovehandles. Izzo lives on Long Island with his wife and three adorable, hilarious children.