United States v. James Hunter

Hunter pled guilty to receiving, while a felon, a firearm shipped in interstate commerce, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and drug trafficking with a firearm, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). The court interpreted section 924(c)(1) to require that the sentence imposed under that section run consecutively to rather than concurrently with any other sentence imposed. Hunter appeals claiming section 924(c)(1) is ambiguous and should be given a more lenient interpretation permitting the court to impose concurrent rather than consecutive sentences.

The pertinent language of section 924(c)(1) provides:

Whoever, during…