Judge issues 19-year sentence for carrying bullets

[The Straight Story]

Judge issues 19-year sentence for carrying bullets

A Wichita man prosecutors and police call a career burglar will spend more than 19 years in federal prison for carrying six bullets.

...
Baker had six previous convictions for breaking into businesses.

Wichita police Capt. Darrell Haynes said Baker was suspected in 56 burglaries in the past year.

"Our department had grown so frustrated in trying to capture Mr. Baker that we had begun to form a task force to focus solely on him," Haynes said.

A jury convicted Baker in August of possessing ammunition, a federal crime for a felon. Police said the bullets had been stolen.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/16297041.htm

There's more than one way to skin a cat as they say :)

[ret5hd]

1. Are bullets serialized???

[benEzra]

3. No...

but the box will generally have a lot number that may allow you to find out where they came from.

I'm not sure how they knew they were stolen, but that was irrelevant to the conviction. For a convicted felon to even touch a single round of ammunition is a major Federal felony, and he had six rounds in his possession.

Not sure why he had only six, though, unless (1) he either had a revolver or something in his possession and ditched it, but forgot to ditch his spare ammo, or (2) he stole the ammo from a house but didn't have time to steal the gun (maybe the gun was in a safe or something).

[sam sarrha]

2. as an X-parole officer all i can say is some of those people need to be put away, they only get wors...

there was the next to definite there was a gun for those bullets.. this guy was totally out of control and needed to be placed under control..

before anyone criticizes the sentence.. you need to consider he may live next door to you.. and you wife and kids.. with a gun and bullets and hopped up on meth with a hard on for your wife or your child.. and will do anything for a fix. some people do not respond to counceling... they are lost souls, tragic but real when they live next door.. if not to you .. to someone else.

[formercia]

4. Just a little note with my hunting permit

We get one every year for Xmas. There was a note attached warning anyone who is a Felon or had any conviction even if a juvenile not to sign the permit an return it or else.

I read it as: One twitch and we will take your guns away forever.

First year it's happened.

The US Attorney here has been going after people.

[madmusic]

5. Once again, I got lost.

Where in the article does it say he is a meth addict? Missed that. And is there any evidence he ever stole from or attacked a next door neighbor? Though bad enough, businesses aren't what we think of when we think of next door neighbors. And if he was sentenced in part based on the "suspected 56 burglaries" that should be overturned under Blakely, which found a judge cannot sentence based on crimes not proven before a jury.

If there is a law and bullet possession gets someone 16 years, then that's the law, but if it was assumed he had a gun when he never did, then that's injustice.

Maybe a 16-year sentence is just, and maybe he really was dangerous, but there are a lot of assumptions in this case that make it questionable.

[MrSlayer]

6. 6 previous convictions.

No tears for this guy.