Gun-rights advocate gets 25G payday

MARK FIORINO, who sued the city last month after being arrested for legally carrying his Glock on Frankford Avenue in 2011, will receive $25,000 after accepting an offer of judgment in his favor from the city yesterday.

He and his attorneys said they accepted the offer instead of going to trial because they're satisfied with the steps the city and Police Department have taken to better train officers about open-carry laws. In the city, it is legal to openly carry a firearm as long as you have a permit to carry.

"Mr. Fiorino was seeking change in the way the city trains its police officers and vindication in connection with the violation of his constitutional rights," Benjamin Picker, an attorney representing Fiorino along with the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.

Picker explained that the offer of judgment indicates that the city is aware that Fiorino's rights were violated.

"The major issues I've had with the city are being addressed," Fiorino said yesterday.