Occupier Arrested for Bringing Gun to NYC Court

We just brought you the news of an Occupy supporter who said it might be time for Occupiers to bring their guns to Wall St., and now the question is: Did one of them get the memo?

The New York Daily News reports "John Scott DeKuyper arrived for a Wednesday court hearing at the wrong building while carrying a Colt .45 pistol in his leather backpack, police and court officials said."

DeKuyper apparently told police at the courthouse it was an accident and was “the stupidest thing he’d ever done."

He was appearing in court for a charge stemming from an Oct. 15 scuffle with police during an Occupy protest. At the time, he tried to rip the badge off of NYPD Chief of Department Joseph Esposito. He had spend time at Zucotti Park last fall.

The Daily News says DeKuyper, from Delaware, reportedly said he's licensed to carry the gun in another state. However, DNA Info quotes Assistant District Attorney Ryan Hayward as saying the gun was purchased legally, but that he did not have a permit to carry it.

"He indicated the gun was purchased legally in the state of Delaware but he does not have a carry permit and he packed the gun last night to bring to New York but forgot to take it out of his bag before coming to the courthouse," Hayward said.

"I'm gonna turn it in! I'm gonna turn it in!" Dekuyper apparently yelled, according to a witness who talked to DNA Info.

If it turns out DeKuyper does have a permit in his home state, that could bring up an interesting debate: several people over the past few months have been arrested on weapons charges in NYC who were licensed to carry concealed in other states. Most notably, there has been an outcry of support for former Marine Ryan Jerome, a jeweler who brought his gun to the city for protection and tried to check it at the Empire State Building.

The Occupiers attorney said he "merely forgot" about the unloaded gun in his pack, which also included a box of ammo. His attorney added that DeKuyper is recovering from cancer and hinted that they may be looking to see if his disease and his treatment contributed to his alleged forgetfulness.

Get more details at the Daily News.

This story has been updated.