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Man who brought an AR rifle near the Capitol sentenced to two years in prison
Washington

Man who brought an AR rifle near the Capitol sentenced to two years in prison

A 22-year-old man who brought a firearm near the Capitol was sentenced to two years in prison.

Ahmir Lavon Merrell brought the AR-style rifle and 73 rounds of ammunition onto the Capitol grounds last fall. Earlier this year, Merrell pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm.

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Merrell to serve three years of probation in addition to a two-year prison sentence.

Last November, someone approached a Capitol Police officer about a man who appeared to be carrying a weapon on Capitol grounds. When officers approached him in a park near Union Station in Washington, DC, they ordered him to put the weapon down, but he refused. An officer used a stun gun on him and he fell to the ground, where he was arrested.

According to the Justice Department, Merrell said “words to the effect of, ‘To take this gun away from me, you’ll have to kill me.'”

During the arrest, police officers seized a Diamondback Arms AR-style rifle loaded with a .223 caliber cartridge in the barrel and equipped with a 30-round high-capacity ammunition feed, of which 26 rounds fired.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“As simple as this case may seem at first glance, in many ways this is a unique gun possession case. The facts and circumstances clearly demonstrate that Mr. Merrell did not possess a firearm with the intent to commit other crimes,” said AJ Kramer, Merrell’s public defender. “He did not possess it to threaten or harm anyone. Tragically, the only person he intended to harm that day was himself.”

Kramer said Merrell will undergo psychiatric treatment while in prison.

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