United States v. Lawrence Stevens

LAY, Circuit Judge.

The essential issue presented on this appeal is the reasonableness of the search of an automobile after it was stopped for a traffic offense and a frisk of the defendant-passenger produced a .16-gauge shotgun shell. The search of the automobile produced an unregistered firearm which led to the defendant’s conviction of possessing an unregistered firearm in violation of 26 U.S.C. §§ 5861(d) and 5871. We affirm the judgment of conviction. 1

The facts surrounding the search were developed during a suppression hearing. The same facts were adduced by the government during the…