LANSING, Mich — During our interview, Ingham county Prosecutor John Dewane had no problem watching a story we did just 24 hours before.
In that story, gun violence prevention advocate Michael Lynn Junior, emphasized how easy it is to access illegal guns in Lansing, whether they're stolen, or a so-called ghost gun, or what's called straw purchasing.
“He's on the front line and boots on the ground dealing with these issues and he is spot on when he talks about it,” Dewane said.
Dewane said he knows that illegal guns are accessible and told us the part his office plays when it comes to holding people who commit a crime accountable.
“Concealing a stolen firearm is a 5 year felony,” he said.
Then, there are the charges for straw purchasing, a crime where someone purchases a gun and gives it to someone who isn't eligible to carry it.
“Being a straw purchaser can be a 5 year felony and it could also be a federal offense as well,” Dewane said.
Speaking of federal offenses charges relating to ghost guns are typically handled in Federal court.
Dewane said 50% of the charges filed in his office are gun charges, so anyone who's thinking about it might want to think twice before picking up an illegal weapon.
“That’s where I am focusing my efforts on, ensuring that we are trying to reduce these guns on the streets and that are accessible to people that shouldn't have them,” Dewane said.
