The First Step Act Stopped the Government From Double Counting Federal Gun Charges
First Step Act 924(c) Changes
“This landmark legislation will give countless current and former prisoners a second chance at life and a new opportunity to contribute to their communities, their states, and their nations”
The First Step Act Dramatically Alters the Compounding of 924(c) Convictions
A 924(c) conviction is basically a firearm conviction where the firearm was used in furtherance of a federal drug crime or violent crime. At the minimum, use of a firearm carries a five year mandatory minimum. However, if multiple 924(c) charges were made in an indictment and entered as convictions, prior to the First Step Act, these cases would compound and two convictions would be a mandatory twenty-five years in prison, and three would be fifty-five years mandatory prison time! Shocking does not begin to describe that unjust result.
First Step Act No Longer Allows Compounding of 924(c) Convictions
As seen above, the result of multiple 924(c) convictions in one case would result in extreme mandatory prison sentences. The First Step Act changed this dirty practice by eliminating the compounding and instead multiple convictions for 924(c) within one indictment can only result in an additional five years per conviction. So applying the example above, rather than twenty-five years for two 924(c) convictions, the person would only receive ten years, a reduction of fifteen years in prison.
We Are Federal Criminal Lawyers Who Understand the First Step Act and its Interplay with Federal Gun Charges
If anything can be learned from our website, it’s that there are many pitfalls to practicing federal criminal defense. Not understanding the nuances of federal criminal law usually results in a defendant receiving higher sentences and losing cases that they could win. We are a criminal defense law firm that practices federal criminal defense in Michigan. Call us today to discuss your case.