Charges filed in White House shooting

[Roadrunner]

CNN reports:
"The U.S. Attorney's office Friday filed federal charges against the alleged gunman who fired shots outside the White House, charging him with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon."

http://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/02/09/whitehouse.gunman.03/index.html

What about the gun possession charge? Assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon is a serious offense. But shouldn't he be charged with a gun possession violation? That could add another 5 years of imprisonment. So much for enforcing the existing firearm laws.

 

[David Scott]

The gun possession charge would have to come from local DC authorities, since it's a DC law that makes the possession illegal. I'm sure they'll get their chance, and probably throw in reckless endangerment of the public and whatever else they can think of. The US Attorney has jurisdiction over the charge of assaulting a Federal officer, so that's what they filed.

This guy is either going to wind up in jail or the padded-wall hotel, probably forever. He can swap shooting tips with John Hinckley.

 

[Roadrunner]

I spoke with one of our former federal prosecutors here in our DC office and the U.S. Attorney's Office does has the authority to bring the weapons violation charge. Since DC is not a state, the U.S. Attorney's Office can bring local criminal charges against a person. The only reason why the lessor possession charge wasn't filed, he speculated, was that the Asst. U.S. Atty may not have wanted to be "inconvenienced" by having to walk across the street to the D.C. Superior Court.

Not only with this case, but many others involving firearms, the possession charges are not filed. I might head over to the district court clerk's office on Monday and see if I can get a copy of the complaint and any other documents filed.