He is using the forgot it was in his bag defense.
Via Guns
David Malik, a well-known civil rights lawyer, was arrested Saturday afternoon after authorities discovered a handgun in his carry-on bag at a Cleveland airport, but the attorney said it was a simple mistake.
According to a statement by Malik, he had recently been target shooting with a concealed carry instructor when he apparently forgot to remove the gun from his bag. He then used the same bag to pack for the trip he had planned to take and inadvertently brought the .22-caliber handgun, along with ammo, to the airport. Authorities confirmed that the gun was unloaded.[…]
Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, pointed out the irony of the case.
“What’s interesting about David is he is such an anti-gun person,” Loomis said. “He’s such an anti-violence person, and of all the things for him to get arrested for, that really surprises me.”
Malik has had a number of cases against the city and local law enforcement, and has remained vocal about police brutality and the need for improvement in police departments.
For a short time, Malik represented the family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy who was fatally shot in November after police responded to a 911 call about the boy waving a gun around and pointing it at people. The gun turned out to be an airsoft pistol, and the boy’s family filed a lawsuit against the city and the officers involved in the deadly shooting. However, the family has since sought legal council from a different lawyer.