[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________ FILED
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
No. 10-15122 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
Non-Argument Calendar JULY 6, 2011
________________________ JOHN LEY
CLERK
D.C. Docket No. 4:10-cr-00026-RH-WCS-1
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
MICHAEL AARON JOHNSON,
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Defendant-Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Florida
________________________
(July 6, 2011)
Before HULL, PRYOR and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Michael Aaron Johnson appeals his 78-month total sentence, imposed
following his guilty plea to theft of firearms from a federal licensee, in violation of
18 U.S.C. §§ 922(u), 924 (a)(1), and 2; possession of stolen firearms, in violation
of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(j), 924(a)(2), and 2; and possession of a firearm by a
convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). The offense
involved the burglary of a pawn shop, during which Johnson and his codefendants
stole several firearms. Johnson argues on appeal that the four-level enhancement
under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6), for possession of a firearm “in connection with”
another felony, is appropriate only where there is proof that the firearm facilitated
the other felony. Thus, he argues, the district court erroneously applied
§ 2K2.1(b)(6) in his case, because the government failed to prove that his
possession of the firearm facilitated another offense. Johnson concedes in his
responsive brief that the issue has been resolved by an amendment to the
Guidelines.
We review a district court’s application and interpretation of the Guidelines
de novo, and its factual findings for clear error. United States v. Rhind, 289 F.3d
690, 693 (11th Cir. 2002).
Subsection 2K2.1(b)(6) of the Guidelines states that “[i]f the defendant used
or possessed any firearm or ammunition in connection with another felony offense
. . . increase [the base offense level by] 4 levels . . . .” In United States v. Rhind,
we held that the phrase, “in connection with,” does not require that the firearm
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facilitate the underlying offense. Rhind, 289 F.3d at 695. In order to resolve a
circuit conflict pertaining to the application of U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6), specifically
with respect to the use of a firearm “in connection with” a burglary offense, the
Sentencing Commission promulgated Amendment 691in 2006, noting that the
application of U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6) is warranted in the case of a burglary
“because of the potential that the presence of the firearm has for facilitating
another felony offense . . . .” U.S.S.G. App. C, Amend. 691. Subsection
2K2.1(b)(6) now applies “in a case in which a defendant, who during the course of
a burglary, finds and takes a firearm, even if the defendant did not engage in any
other conduct with that firearm during the course of the burglary.” U.S.S.G. §
2K2.1, comment. (n.14(B)). The enhancement applies “if the firearm or
ammunition facilitated, or had the potential of facilitating, another felony
offense . . . .” Id. at comment. (n.14(A)). For the purposes of this enhancement,
“another felony offense” is defined as “any federal, state, or local offense, other
than the . . . firearms possession or trafficking offense . . . regardless of whether a
criminal charge was brought, or a conviction obtained.” Id. at comment.
(n.14(C)).
The U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6) enhancement was correctly applied in this case,
because under Amendment 691, the enhancement required only that the presence
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of the firearm had the potential of facilitating the burglary. U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1,
comment. (n.14(B)). Accordingly, we affirm Johnson’s total sentence.
AFFIRMED.
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