Opinion

In the interests of justice

Sometimes zero tolerance makes zero sense.

Take the case of former Marine Ryan Jerome, an Indiana jeweler arrested last September at the Empire State Building for carrying a .45-caliber handgun — legally purchased and licensed in his home state.

It’s not as if Jerome was trying to hide the gun. He volunteered to security personnel that he was carrying it, and actually tried to check it. Nor is he a notorious gangster; he was carrying some $15,000 in jewelry, and needed the gun for protection.

Yes, he did misunderstand New York’s gun laws; possessing an illegal pistol in the Empire State is a Class C felony, with a mandatory 3 1/2 year sentence. But that hardly makes him a menace to society.

Yes, Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance has offered to take a felony charge off the table if Jerome pleads guilty to a misdemeanor, pays a $1,000 fine and performs 10 days of community service.

Vance clearly thinks this is a reasonable deal. Jerome thinks otherwise, and he’s willing to go to trial.

This is risky business, but principle matters to some people.

There is nothing in the public record that suggests Jerome is anything other than a law-abiding citizen — indeed, one who has served his country honorably.

If the DA has evidence to the contrary, he should lay it out for all to see.

But if he doesn’t, Vance would do well to exercise prosecutorial discretion and wipe the slate clean.

After all, doesn’t the DA support no-questions-asked gun buy-back programs — where actual criminals walk in and get money for their illegal weapons?

Where’s the justice?