Courts.
Carlton Raynard Parker, of Glenside, heads to county arraignment on two misdemeanors.
A Glenside man accused of lying on federal firearms applications during a gun show had two felonies against him dropped at a preliminary hearing recently and heads to county arraignment on two misdemeanors.
Carlton Raynard Parker, 56, of the 700 block of Garfield Avenue, was charged in August with two felony counts of making a materially false written statement during the purchase of a firearm and two misdemeanor charges of making a false statement under penalty of law, according to charging documents.
Upper Providence Township Police said detectives were contacted on Jan. 2, 2024 by the Pennsylvania State Police for a criminal investigation regarding the violation of the state Uniform Firearms Act, according to the affidavit.
The offense occurred Dec. 18, 2022, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Ave., Oaks, Upper Providence, when police allege Parker attempted to buy a gun from Quakertown Armory LLC at the Eagle Arms Gun Show.
During the attempted purchase, and as required as part of a purchase of a firearm, the defendant completed a federal ATFE Firearms Transaction Record. Police said one question on the form asked, “Have you ever been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, or are you or have you ever been a member of the military and been convicted of a crime that included, as an element, the use of force against a person as identified in the instructions?” Parker, authorities allege, checked “NO” as the answer.
He then signed and dated the application that all answers were true, correct and complete, police said.
During the purchase, and as required by law, Parker completed a similar application for the state police record, according to the complaint. One question asked if the applicant was ever convicted of a crime or if any of the conditions applied to him. Police said Parker answered no, and then signed and dated the forms.
He was then subsequently denied from purchasing the firearm during a background check through the state Instant Check System, police said.
According to authorities, on July 17, 1990, Parker was charged with third-degree assault by the Hoover Police Department in Jefferson County, AL. Police said court documents showed the defendant was found guilty, which was graded as a misdemeanor, and the assault was domestic in nature.
Thus, police said, Parker was prohibited from buying a firearm on Dec. 18, 2022, and failed to answer “Yes” to both questions, violating federal law. By signing and dating both forms, Parker admitted to making false statements, police said.
Parker is free on $5,000 unsecured bail. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Dec. 6 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. Parker is represented by attorney Daniel McGarrigle.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
