Pa. Court Rules Making Gun-Like Hand Gesture Is A Crime

MANOR, Pa. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania man convicted of disorderly conduct for making a shooting gesture with his hand has lost his bid to have it overturned.

A state appellate court made the ruling Tuesday on the appeal brought by Stephen Kirchner.

The Manor man made the gesture while walking past a neighbor's home in June 2018. The man allegedly made an obscene gesture toward Kirchner, who responded with his gesture.

A witness called 911 to report the incident.

The neighbor told authorities he felt "extremely threatened."

In his appeal, Kirchner argued that his gesture didn't create a hazardous or physically offensive condition. He also argued that he didn't intend to cause a public inconvenience because he made the gesture to a specific individual.

Kirchner's attorney said they won't appeal the matter further.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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