14 Baltimore Men Face Federal Charges For Illegal Gun Possession
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--14 Baltimore men will be tried in federal court for illegal possession of handguns and prosecutors say the cases are more significant than it may seem.
WJZ's Pat Warren has more.
Interim Commissioner Kevin Davis didn't mince words about the arrests.
"14 gun toting criminals who made a choice to arm themselves with a firearm and put themselves in a position to cause more harm to our community," he said.
And while the arrests are not homicide cases, the defendants are convicted felons and law enforcement determined the likelihood committing violent crimes is high.
"We have sharpened the tip of our crime fight to make sure we're going after the worst of the worst," said Davis.
Baltimore is having one of the bloodiest summers on record, and police, prosecutors and federal agents are working to secure the safety of citizens.
"Possession of a gun technically may be treated as a nonviolent crime, but we know based upon defendants histories based upon the expertise of law enforcement officers that people are carrying those guns for a reason," said U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein
Rosenstein says that reason is typically related to criminal activity the defendant is involved in.
These are 14 separate cases. Authorities say the defendants range in age from 20 to 50.
Any previously convicted criminal with a gun faces a maximum 10 years in prison.
