GOP NYC council member arrested for carrying gun at protest

International News | The Hill

New York City Council member Inna Vernikov, a Republican, was arrested Friday after carrying a gun at a pro-Palestine peace rally in Brooklyn the day before, according to a statement from the New York Police Department.

Police charged her with criminal possession of a firearm.

The councilwoman was contacted by police and turned herself in to the 70th Precinct after she was observed “with the but-end of a firearm handgun) protruding from the front portion of her pants, a spokesperson for NYPD said in a statement emailed to The Hill.

“This image was disseminated on social media, per photos taken at the scene by various individuals,” the spokesperson said.

“She was then effectively arrested and charged, and both her firearm (black Smith Wesson 9mm; for which she is licensed to possess) and her permit license were surrendered,” the NYPD statement continued. “At no point in time was anyone menaced or injured as a result of her possessing the firearm at the earlier protest.”

The Hill has reached out to Inna Vernikov.

Political tensions over the Israel-Palestine conflict have soared in the U.S. as recent fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas approaches a week in length.

A pro-Palestine protest over the weekend was widely criticized by politicians over statements made about Israel and victims of the attack by Hamas on Israel.

Israel on Friday ordered around 1 million Palestinians in the north of Gaza to evacuate to the south of the territory, ahead of an expected ground offensive. The United Nations warned, however, that the movement of a large number of people within an initial 24-hour deadline would be disastrous.