Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Jackson, Miss. – A Meridian man pled guilty today to possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

According to court documents, Edward Tyrone Walker, 43, possessed a shotgun which had a barrel of less than 18 inches in length that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.  Officers of the Meridian Police Department were conducting an unrelated investigation at a convenience store and discovered evidence showing that Walker had possession of a short-barreled shotgun.  Walker was interviewed and admitted to possessing the shotgun.  Further investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) revealed that the short-barreled shotgun was not registered. Federal law requires such weapons to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Walker pleaded guilty to a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 5861(d) which criminalizes the possession of certain firearms unless they are properly registered. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 9, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Meridian Police Department and the ATF are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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