A retiree was sentenced to prison in New York City earlier this month for criminal possession of a weapon after he used a firearm to defend himself from a violent career criminal.
Charles Foehner, 67, was accosted by Cody Gonzalez, 32, in the early morning hours of May 31, 2023, according to a news release from Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Foehner fatally shot the assailant — a 15-time career criminal — with a handgun he had in his pocket, per a report from Blaze Media.
Katz did not charge Foehner with homicide or manslaughter since the case was a clear example of self-defense.
But the fatal shooting did trigger a search of Foehner’s residence, where investigators discovered “a cache of illegal weapons, thousands of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of large capacity feeding devices and bulletproof vests,” Katz said in the release.
Those included two Smith and Wesson pistols, four Smith and Wesson revolvers, several other pistols from various manufacturers, multiple rifles, and two bulletproof vests.
“Four of the firearms were determined to be assault weapons and nearly all the illegal firearms were fully operational,” Katz added.
“This stockpile was not a collection of your grandfather’s harmless, inoperable, antique weapons. This was an arsenal of lethal firearms and assault weapons possessed in full violation of New York State law.”
Foehner had more than 13,000 rounds of ammunition.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino sentenced him on Jan. 14 to four years in prison, which will be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Savannah Hernandez, a conservative journalist, told Blaze Media that Foehner had never harmed anyone with those weapons before he was accosted by Gonzalez, who had a history of mental illness.
“Charles’ attorney stated that Charles has been shooting guns since he was a kid. Charles has no criminal history, and he has been around guns his entire life,” Hernandez described.
“However, because he was in New York and these were unlicensed, the DA decided to bring forward these charges,” Hernandez reported.
Sara Gonzalez, a host with BlazeTV, commented that the remainder of Foehner’s life would be deeply affected.
“It’s incredible that this is happening in the United States of America,” she said.
“This 67-year-old retiree ended up losing his home because of the legal fees and him being cut off from his Social Security benefits while he’s in prison. You can’t get that when you’re in prison.”
Gonzalez argued that the charges of illegal weapons possession conflict with the principle of the right to bear arms.
“It’s really incredible that there is such a thing as unlicensed firearms in this country. It’s like, says who? That is completely unconstitutional, because I have a Second Amendment right to protect myself however I see fit,” she added.
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