Tahjmalyk Porter, Felon in Possession of Firearms, Wisconsin 2024

A Middleton man with a violent criminal past walked free from federal court today despite being caught on camera handling military-grade firearms at multiple gun stores. Tahjmalyk Porter, 24, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to two years of probation by U.S. District Judge James Peterson in Madison, Wisconsin.

On November 12, 2019, surveillance footage from a local gun store captured Porter openly handling a semiautomatic rifle—equipment far beyond the reach of someone with his record. Days later, another store’s video showed him handling additional firearms. The evidence painted a disturbing picture: a convicted felon moving freely through legal gun sales environments, testing weapons like a shopper with clean hands. But Porter never pulled the trigger on a purchase—just came close enough to rattle investigators.

Porter’s 2017 felony conviction for strangulation in Dane County Circuit Court bars him from possessing any firearm or ammunition. That conviction, coupled with a prior domestic violence charge, formed the backbone of the federal case. Judge Peterson didn’t mince words: he expressed deep concern that Porter was running with a crew involved in straw purchases—buying guns for others who can’t legally own them—and dumping them onto Madison’s increasingly violent streets.

“We’re seeing an alarming number of shootings,” Peterson said from the bench, underscoring the “extraordinary risk” posed by felons toting guns, legally or not. The court also cited Porter’s positive drug test during pretrial release as a breach of trust. Yet, with no evidence that Porter completed a gun purchase or sold weapons into the underground market, federal prosecutors backed a non-custodial sentence.

The case was pursued under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Department of Justice’s signature initiative to dismantle gun crime networks. Spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Sun Prairie Police Department, the investigation zeroed in on how felons like Porter gain access to weapons under the radar. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan led the prosecution, arguing for accountability without prison time.

While Porter avoids prison for now, his two years of probation come with strict conditions—ongoing supervision, continued drug testing, and zero contact with firearms. But for a city like Madison, where gun violence is surging, the question remains: is probation enough when the guns keep circulating and the triggers keep getting pulled?