MT CLEMENS (WWJ) The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office said the number of felony firearm charges in the county have more than doubled since 2020.
In a press release, they said Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido is cracking down on illegal use of weapons.
“Since January of 2021, more charges of felony firearms and carrying a concealed weapon have been authorized than in any prior years,” the release stated.
According to the prosecutor’s office; in 2020, the year prior to Lucido taking office, felony firearm was charged 146 times in the county. In 2021, the offense was charged 185 times; and in 2022, so far, 308 times.
In 2020, carrying a concealed weapon without a license was charged 434 times. This year, it was charged 551 times.
The Michigan felony firearm statute carries a mandatory two consecutive years behind bars. A convicted felon in possession of a gun will face five years in prison.
“There is no constitutional right to possess a gun when committing a crime,” Lucido said in the release.
Lucido said carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle could be charged with a five-year felony, unless the gun is inaccessible to the driver, unloaded and in a case.
The release did not specify if gun crimes have become more frequent in the past two years, or if Lucido's office has been much less lenient than his predecessor's.