Tea Party Leader Meckler Pleads Guilty In New York

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City prosecutor says a leader of a tea party group has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after taking his gun to LaGuardia Airport.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced the plea Thursday by Mark J. Meckler, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots.

Meckler was taken into custody last month after he tried to check in for a Delta flight to Detroit. He had a locked gun box containing a Glock pistol and ammunition.

Meckler declared the weapon, as required. He's licensed to carry it in Grass Valley, where he lives. But authorities said that license isn't valid in New York.

He told authorities that he had the gun because he gets threats.

Meckler was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and fined $250.