DEFENDANT’S SHOWING A HANDGUN TO HER EX-BOYFRIEND DID NOT CONSTITUTE “DISPLAYING” THE WEAPON IN FURTHERANCE OF THE OFFENSE; THEREFORE THERE WAS NO IMPEDIMENT TO REMOVING THE SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD DEFENDANT’S “CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A WEAPON” CASE TO FAMILY COURT (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Nowak, over an extensive dissent, determined the seventeen-year-old defendant’s showing her ex-boyfriend a handgun she had on her person dis not amount to “displaying” the weapon such that the case could not be removed to Family Court:

… [D]efendant was charged with a violent felony (see Penal Law § 70.02 [1] [b]), and thus the People could prevent removal to Family Court without a formal motion under one of the CPL 722.23 (2) (c) exceptions, i.e., as relevant here, that defendant “displayed a firearm, shotgun, rifle or deadly weapon as defined in the penal law in furtherance of [the charged] offense[s]” (CPL 722.23 [2] [c] [ii]; see Penal Law §§ 265.02 [3]; 265.03 [3]). * * *

… [D]efendant did not “further” her possession of the weapon merely by displaying it to her ex-boyfriend, even if she did so to emphasize her control of the handgun … .Every display of a handgun emphasizes control by the person possessing it, and thus every display would always further the charged offense. So too with the dissent’s proposed construction. Every display of a weapon provides evidence of possession—it is not possible to display the weapon without possessing it—and thus there would always be a “logical nexus” between a display and the possessory offense … . Either reading would effectively render meaningless the separate statutory requirement that the display “further[ ]” the charged offense (CPL 722.23 [2] [c] [ii]). Had the legislature wished to do so, it could have required that the People demonstrate only that the adolescent offender “displayed” a designated weapon, and stopped there, without also requiring that the offender did so “in furtherance of” the charged offense (CPL 722.23 [2] [c] [ii]). That language must be given effect and interpreted to require something more than merely displaying the weapon … . People v Neyshaliz M. V., 2026 NY Slip Op 04581, Fourth Dept 7-24-26

Practice Point: Consult this opinion for a discussion of what it means to “display” a weapon “in furtherance” of the charged offense (criminal possession of a weapon). Merely showing the weapon to defendant’s ex-boyfriend did not amount to displaying the weapon in furtherance of the offense.