Tyron S. Jackson, Possession of a Single Firearm Round, NY 2015

One bullet. Forty-six months in federal prison. That’s the math for Tyron S. Jackson, a 28-year-old convicted felon from Rensselaer, New York, who admitted to possessing a single 9 millimeter Luger round during a traffic stop in Schenectady County — a move that landed him behind bars for nearly four years.

On September 25, 2015, officers with the Niskayuna Police Department pulled Jackson over on Albany Street. What started as a routine stop escalated when they discovered the tiny but illegal item: one live round. Because Jackson had prior felony convictions — including a 2006 first-degree robbery conviction and a May 2016 firearms charge — even a single bullet became a federal crime.

He pleaded guilty on June 20, 2016, to unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, a charge that carries stiff penalties under federal law. The prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett, argued for a significant sentence given Jackson’s escalating criminal record and repeated violations of gun laws.

Sentencing was handed down by Senior U.S. District Judge Gary L. Sharpe, who made no excuses for the 46-month prison term. Sharpe pointed to Jackson’s history of violence and his blatant disregard for firearm restrictions, calling the defendant a persistent threat to public safety.

The case, jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Niskayuna Police Department, underscores how federal statutes treat any firearm or ammunition possession by felons as a serious offense — regardless of whether the round was loaded, fired, or even intended for use.

U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and ATF Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict both defended the prosecution as a necessary enforcement of laws designed to keep weapons out of the hands of violent offenders. For Jackson, the cost of one bullet will be 46 months in prison — and three more years under federal supervision.