United States Seventh Circuit

Defendant's conviction for possessing an unregistered rifle and an unregistered silencer is reversed where: 1) defendant's preoccupation with security concerns had nothing to do with his knowledge that the sawed-off rifle at issue was a rifle rather than a pistol, or his intent to use an oil filter as a silencer rather than a flash suppressor, and evidence to that effect was improperly admitted; and 2) to make the point that defendant was very familiar with firearms, it was not necessary to lay two dozen guns out on the floor around the witness box, and such evidence was unduly prejudicial to defendant.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/08/2010
• Published 04/08/2010

Judges

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel