People v Izepia |
2024 NY Slip Op 06360 |
Decided on December 18, 2024 |
Appellate Division, Second Department |
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. |
This opinion is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports. |
Patricia Pazner, New York, NY (Robert C. Langdon of counsel), for appellant.
Eric Gonzalez, District Attorney, Brooklyn, NY (Leonard Joblove and Ann Bordley of counsel), for respondent.
DECISION & ORDER
Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Donald Leo, J.), rendered July 11, 2022, convicting him of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, upon his plea of guilty, and imposing sentence.
ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.
The defendant was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, upon his plea of guilty, as a result of allegations that he possessed an unlicensed firearm in his home.
As the defendant correctly concedes, his contentions that Penal Law § 265.01(1) is unconstitutional as applied to him and that Penal Law former § 400.00(1)(b) was facially unconstitutional in light of the decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v Bruen (597 US 1) are unpreserved for appellate review, as the defendant failed to raise a constitutional challenge before the Supreme Court (see People v Chase, 223 AD3d 913; People v Manners, 217 AD3d 683, 685). "Preservation of a constitutional challenge, in particular, ensures that the drastic step of striking duly enacted legislation will be taken not in a vacuum but only after the lower courts have had an opportunity to address the issue and the unconstitutionality of the challenged provision has been established beyond a reasonable doubt" (People v Cabrera, 41 NY3d 35, 43 [internal quotation marks omitted]).
Under the circumstances, we decline to exercise our interest of justice jurisdiction to consider the defendant's contentions (see CPL 470.15[3][c]).
BARROS, J.P., GENOVESI, TAYLOR and GOLIA, JJ., concur.
Darrell M. Joseph
Clerk of the Court