Crime & Public Safety.
The incident occurred at Tanner's on York Road in Warwick Township.
A Philadelphia man is accused of willfully lying on firearm applications and records to buy a .45-caliber pistol in Bucks County last year.
Corey Alexis Taylor, 42, of the 2500 block of North Marston Street, has been charged Oct. 11 by Warwick Township Police with two felony counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited individual and felony providing materially false written statements to purchase a firearm, stemming from a June 17, 2023 incident at Tanners Operations LLC at 2301 York Road, according to charging documents.
Taylor is also charged with misdemeanor providing a false statement under penalty of law, per documents.
He is currently free on $25,000 unsecured bail and a preliminary hearing set for Dec. 23 at 11:15 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Stacy Wertman.
On April 26, 2024, Warwick Police received a request for assistance in a criminal investigation from the Pennsylvania State Police’s Firearms Division, in which, police allege in the affidavit, Taylor attempted to buy a Springfield XDM .45-caliber handgun.
Taylor, police said, was denied because of four separate involuntary mental health commitments in Philadelphia, as well as a misdemeanor carrying a firearm without a license conviction in Philadelphia.
When Taylor completed the Firearms Transaction Record form, police said he signed and affirmed that “he understood that making any false statement with respect to the transactions is a crime.”
Police allege Taylor checked “No” on a question about mental health and mental health commitments, and also checked “No” when asked if he was convicted of a felony for which a judge could have imprisoned him for more than one year, even if received a shorter sentence, including probation.
When Taylor completed the Pennsylvania State Police application and record of sale, police allege he lied when asked if he was charged with, or convicted of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year.
Per the affidavit, on an Oct. 8 recorded Zoom interview with Taylor, police asked him why he was attempting to buy a gun on June 17, 2023, and he told authorities it was for protection. Police said Taylor told them, “It was a 9 or something like that … a handgun, automatic or something.” When told it was a .45-caliber pistol, Taylor verified that was correct, police said.
When asked about his August 2007 guilty plea to carrying firearms in Philadelphia, Taylor allegedly said it was a stop and frisk incident, but admitted to being charged with the crime. Taylor said his lawyer told him to plead guilty for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, per the affidavit. However, Taylor was not accepted into ARD and “that’s how I got stuck with it,” police said. Taylor, police said, served four years’ probation.
According to the affidavit, when Taylor was asked why he checked “no” to conviction of a felony with a punishment of more than one year in jail, and mental health commitment, he allegedly said he believed once the incidents were over, they were discharged from his record.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
