A former Marine whose arrest at the Empire State Building on a gun-possession charge last September prompted outrage among supporters of gun rights pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a misdemeanor weapons-possession charge.

The agreement allowed the former Marine, Ryan Jerome, a jeweler from Indiana, to avoid a possible prison sentence of three and a half years. He agreed to serve 10 days of community service near his home and to pay a $1,000 fine.

…

Mr. Bederow also argued that the case should have been dismissed because his client did not intend to violate the law, but the district attorney’s office said criminal intent was not a requirement for being found in violation of the state’s weapons-possession laws.

Oh mens rea? How quaint!

So that’s how this case ends.

Meredith Graves, a nurse from Tennessee, was arrested in December after she tried to check her .32-caliber pistol at the National September 11 Memorial. She pleaded guilty on Monday to a misdemeanor weapons-possession charge, but was not fined or required to perform community service.

Mark J. Meckler, a Tea Party leader, was arrested at La Guardia Airport that same month after he presented a locked gun box to a Delta Air Lines ticketing agent. Mr. Meckler, who had a permit to carry his gun in California, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation.