No Jail in Gun Case

I recently represented a client who was charged with illegal possession of a firearm.  The client had a prior criminal record, which, under Maryland law, precluded him from possessing a firearm.  The client however went, on one occasion, to a firing range, where he engaged in target shooting.  The police, from time to time, check the logs of individuals who go to such ranges, and cross-reference the names of customers to determine whether any of them, such as my client, are prohibited from possessing a firearm.  Unfortunately, for my client, he got caught in such a cross-reference, and was charged with illegal firearm possession, which in this case carried a sentence of up to 5 years in prison.

The State in fact asked for a term of imprisonment, but after hearing my argument, which included the fact that my client, despite having a prior record, had no crimes of violence in his past (his record consisted of some misdemeanor drug possessions and thefts), the judge declined to incarcerate, and instead imposed an 18-month sentence, which was all suspended in favor of 12 months of probation.

Web Resources

FindLaw
Thomson West
U.S. Courts
Westlaw
United States Chamber of Commerce
FirstGov
Library of Congress
White House
Internal Revenue Service
Yahoo!Legal Blog Directory