Ronnell Dontae Butler, Felon in Possession of Ammunition, Oklahoma 2021

A 26-year-old Oklahoma City man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of felon in possession of ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Ronnell Dontae Butler, 26, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to felon in possession of ammunition.

According to court documents, an argument had escalated between Butler and a woman when he pulled a loaded gun from the waistband of his pants, pointed it in the direction of the victim, and threatened to kill her. He did so while in the presence of a four-year-old child.

The victim was able to move to the kitchen at one point where she dialed 911, allowing dispatchers to listen to what was occurring and at times whispering to the 911 operator that Butler was threatening to shoot her. When Tulsa police officers arrived, Butler was unarmed but officers quickly located a personally-made firearm in the child’s pink backpack. The firearm was loaded with 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

The firearm used in the crime is known as a “ghost gun”—an unserialized and personally-assembled firearm built using a parts kit. The crime occurred on Nov. 1, 2021.

In April, the federal government submitted to the Federal Register the “Frame or Receiver” Final Rule, which modernizes the definition of a firearm. Once implemented, this rule will clarify that parts kits that are readily convertible to firearms are subject to the same regulations as traditional firearms. The rule aims to curb the proliferation of “ghost guns,” which are often assembled from kits, do not contain serial numbers, and are sold without background checks, making them more difficult to trace and easy to acquire by criminals.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cymetra M. Williams is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, the nationwide federal initiative to disrupt gun violence strategically and comprehensively, using all available enforcement and prosecutive tools.

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