Brooklyn native Dexter Taylor has been incarcerated in a New York prison for ten months after a judge gave him a ten-year sentence for building his own firearms using parts purchased legally.
Taylor remains behind bars as his legal team prepares the first steps of the appeals process.
During an interview with Townhall, he gave an update on his situation. He explained that his legal team had finally started drafting his appeal after months of delays caused by bureaucratic impediments and the high costs of obtaining trial transcripts.
“My lawyer said that they had finally taken delivery of the transcript, they had received the transcript, and that they were going to start work on the appeal,” Taylor explained. “So that's very good news. The appeal, the drafting appeal will take as long as it takes, but the fact is that we're there now, we're working on it.”
A joint ATF/NYPD force conducted a SWAT raid on Taylor’s home in 2022. Armed agents broke into his home while he was inside listening to an audiobook. At first, he believed they had the wrong house because it did not occur to him that he could run afoul of the law simply by manufacturing firearms.
He was arrested and sent to Rikers Island for a week before being released on bail. “We’re making ‘paperwork felons’ out of law-abiding citizens instead of addressing the actual crime in the streets,” he said.
During his trial, Judge Abena Darkeh admonished Taylor and his lawyer, Vinoo Varghese, to refrain from mentioning the Second Amendment as part of his defense. “Do not bring the Second Amendment into this courtroom,” she said, according to Varghese. “It doesn’t exist here. So you can’t argue Second Amendment. This is New York.”
Varghese previously described Darkeh as “the most aggressive prosecutor in the room.”
After Taylor was convicted, Darkeh sentenced him to ten years in prison even though he did not have a criminal record.
Taylor told Townhall that recent moves by the Trump administration have given him hope for his freedom and for gun rights. He noted that Donald Trump Jr. “knows about our case now” and stated that the president “has ordered the Department of Justice to look into civil rights violations, specifically touching on the Second Amendment.”
Donald Trump Jr. briefly discussed Taylor’s case during an interview with conservative radio host Dana Loesch.
Donald Trump Jr. chimes in on New York Democrats weaponizing the government against Dexter Taylor, who was sentenced to ten years in prison for manufacturing his own firearms.
— Jeff Charles, The Nullifier🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) January 28, 2025
"It's all nonsense."
He's right.@DoniTheMisfit and I have been hoping to get Dexter's case in front… pic.twitter.com/nDCEtGMWaO
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to review rules, regulations, guidance, and other measures to identify any “ongoing infringements” on the right to keep and bear arms. She will present a plan to eliminate these measures.
Taylor expressed hope that the Justice Department might investigate New York and the ATF for their investigation into his case. “There’s ample precedent for the federal government to intervene when states violate the civil rights of American citizens,” he said.
Since Taylor was convicted by the state of New York, President Trump cannot pardon him. However, there are other courses of action the administration could take in his case and others.
The Justice Department could investigate New York’s handling of Taylor’s case under Title 18, USC Sections 241 and 242, which prohibits conspiracies to violate people’s rights under color of law.
Taylor told Townhall he remains “cautiously optimistic” about the trajectory of the fight for gun rights. “The big question now is how and when the Department of Justice is going to change its focus from looking into the actions of federal agencies and start looking at the actions of states,” he explained. “When that happens, we’re really going to be off to the races.”
Despite being incarcerated, Taylor remains strong. “Every day is not a great day. This place can be very dismal and depressing, as you can imagine. But on the whole, I deal with it,” he admitted. “I can deal with it because my family is okay, because our cause is righteous, and because as far as my political allies are concerned, I’m rolling with the best.”
When asked what people can do to help him in his fight, he suggested raising awareness about his plight and the unfairness of New York’s gun laws. “I would say the most important thing that regular people can do is to spread the word. Spread the word in real life to your friends and associates, spread it on social media,” he said. “If you have politicians in your circle, even if they’re not in New York, it doesn’t matter. The more people are talking about this case, the better.”
He also indicated that supporting his legal fund would also help. “We’re always in need of donations to our legal fund because this has been and will continue to be a very expensive process. But I’m terrible at asking for money,” he admitted. “I just don’t really like to do it.”
Taylor’s family set up a GiveSendGo page before he was incarcerated to help him fight the battle.
Dexter Taylor’s case is about more than just one man being railroaded by the system—it’s about the broader issue of gun rights and how the government criminalizes responsible firearm ownership. “New York has to change its approach. It has to change its attitude towards the Second Amendment. It has to stop relying on paperwork felons to paper over the deficiencies in its own system,” he insisted.
As Taylor’s attorney continues working on his appeal, Taylor is hopeful that his fight will benefit not only him, but others who might find themselves in similar circumstances.
“I think this fight is winnable. I think we can win, and God willing, we will win,” he said. “And by the way, a win for us is not just going to be a win for me. None of this will have been worth it if it’s only about me.”