Anthony Clarence Pratt, Felon in Possession of Firearm, Michigan 2024

Gun violence has become a leading cause of death for youth in America and has inflicted immense trauma on communities across Michigan.

U.S. Attorney Mark Totten has launched a new program, Safe Summer 2024, to address the rise in gun violence that often accompanies the warmer summer months.

Under this program, the U.S. Attorney's Office will federally prosecute all firearms offenders who possess crime guns – namely, guns previously fired in the commission of a crime.

Anthony Clarence Pratt, a 24-year-old from Kalamazoo, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and with possessing a machine gun. He was arrested on August 10, 2023, as he was walking down the street. Pratt fled but was quickly apprehended. Law enforcement recovered a firearm that Pratt tossed when he ran.

The gun was a loaded, .40 caliber, Glock pistol equipped with a machine gun conversion device – sometimes called a “switch” – that allowed the gun to fire fully automatic. The gun had an extended magazine with 17 rounds. Investigators later determined the gun was stolen and was a crime gun, used in one or more previous crimes.

On April 30, 2024, a federal judge sentenced Pratt to 7 years in prison. The government's sentencing memorandum is attached to this release. This case was the first case from last summer's program to reach sentencing; the remaining cases continue to work through the criminal justice system.

Gun violence affects us all, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is resolute and unwavering in its commitment to aggressively pursue, identify, and prosecute violent criminals, specifically those involved in gun crimes and gang violence.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmi/pr/2024_0523_Safe_Summer_2024