Last week, in response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary and other mass shootings in public places, this blog posted a response to concerns about gun control in Oklahoma and across the nation. The commentary addressed the effectiveness of existing laws and noted that no amount of regulation could prevent all gun violence, because no legislation could accurately predict the threat of violence from individuals who have no prior mental health issues or criminal history to warrant suspicion.
Weapons Charges for Handgun Purchased at Gun Show
On the same day our editorial published, Oklahoma City police reported that three men were arrested for gun violations following the purchase of a nine millimeter handgun at a local gun show held at State Fair Park. Two of the men were convicted felons, and the third has two pending felony cases in Oklahoma County.
Both state and federal laws prohibit gun possession by individuals with felony convictions. According to 21 O.S. § 1283, felons are prohibited from gun ownership or possession:
Except as provided in subsection B of this section, it shall be unlawful for any person convicted of any felony in any court of this state or of another state or of the United States to have in his or her possession or under his or her immediate control, or in any vehicle which the person is operating, or in which the person is riding as a passenger, or at the residence where the convicted person resides, any pistol, imitation or homemade pistol, machine gun, sawed-off shotgun or rifle, or any other dangerous or deadly firearm which could be easily concealed on the person, in personal effects or in an automobile.
Details of the Charges
Police arrested David Lee Jackson, Jr., 22; Midarreon Cook, 21; and Daveon Jackson, 21, after a police officer working at the gun show noticed a distinctive tattoo on Jackson's face and checked it in a database. The officer, who allegedly witnessed the three men pooling their money to purchase the gun, discovered that Jackson has two prior felony convictions as well as a pending felony case in Oklahoma County.
After the men left the gun show, Jackson was pulled over for making an illegal left turn. He admitted to the officer that there was a gun in the vehicle, and said that his friend bought it. Background checks of the other two men revealed that Cook also has a prior felony conviction, and Jackson has two pending felonies.
Oklahoma law prohibits the sale of firearms to felons; however, private sellers, like those at gun shows, are not required to conduct background checks on purchasers.
For more on state gun laws or to find a gun crime defense lawyer in Oklahoma City, click here to visit the weapons charges page of our criminal defense website.