Opinion ID: 149769
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: William Winstanley

Text: Approximately six months later, on April 1, 2005, Winstanley, a citizen and resident of the State of New York, and who, unlike Torraco, has a New York firearm license, underwent a somewhat similar experience at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, from where Winstanley was scheduled to fly to Phoenix, Arizona. Winstanley was traveling with more than one unloaded firearm, packed in accordance with TSA regulations. Upon arrival, Winstanley declared his firearms to the ticket agent who, in accordance with protocol, contacted the Port Authority Police. Appellee Officer Paulsen arrived, asked Winstanley for his New York firearm license, which Winstanley presented, asked Winstanley where he was going, to which Winstanley respondedTucson, Arizona, and asked Winstanley for his concealed weapons permit for Arizona, to which Winstanley responded that he did not have one, nor did he need one because he had a Florida concealed weapons permit, which allowed him to carry a concealed weapon in Arizona. Officer Paulsen disagreed, stating that Winstanley needed a concealed weapons permit for Arizona and when Winstanley asked for a supervisor, threatened to place him under arrest and informed him that he could not board the aircraft. [5] As the airline with which he was traveling apparently only had one flight a day to Tucson, Winstanley changed his flight to the next day, anticipating that the delay would cause him to miss his flight. He then proceeded to the Port Authority Police headquarters at JFK and spoke to a lieutenant who agreed that Winstanley did not need a permit to openly carry a weapon in Arizona. When the lieutenant left the room, Winstanley also spoke to a sergeant, who, he testified, showed him, but would not let him examine, a matrix in a folder entitled Gun Laws of the United States. The next day, Winstanley returned to JFK, and again declared his firearms at the ticket counter. As with the previous day, the agent gave him a declaration tag and contacted the Port Authority Police. An unidentified officer asked him for his New York gun license, which Winstanley produced. The officer then inspected the gun case and told Winstanley that he had the wrong type of carrying case. When Winstanley responded that he had transported firearms in that carrying case multiple times from JFK, the officer informed Winstanley that he was free to travel, just not with the carrying case. Winstanley then purchased a compliant gun case from the airline and would have made the flight, except that it was canceled due to weather. On April 4, 2005, Winstanley called the Port Authority headquarters before heading to JFK, recounted the incidents of his previous two attempts to an officer, and after some back and forth was told that he could travel with his firearms. Upon arrival at JFK, Winstanley was permitted to board the flight to Arizona. Together with Torraco, Winstanley subsequently brought this suit in federal court alleging that: (a) Section 926A creates an independent right to transport firearms, and (b) his right to travel was infringed. Like Torraco, he contends that both of these rights are enforceable by an action for damages under Section 1983.