Minnesota has tough laws for those criminals, who use a gun while committing a crime: 3 years minimum sentence (for first time offense) and no early release.
I bet, the situation in other states is similar. Too much discretion exercised by judges and prosecutors in violation even of unambiguous language of the law and intent of the legislators! Do gooders are everywhere! This is a serious issue!
Well, judges and prosecutors have been ignoring the law! "This equates to nearly half (48.5%) of these offenders who the legislature intended to receive a mandatory minimum sentence didn’t receive one as prescribed [thanks to departure in sentencing by judges]. ... In about half of the departures the prosecutors either didn’t object or made the motion to depart themselves. In about a quarter of the cases the prosecutor objected to the departure, and in the remaining cases the position of the prosecutor was not known."
"Minnesota statute 609.11 establishes a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 years in prison for possessing a firearm during the commission of a long list of crimes. A second conviction mandates a minimum of five years in prison.
To emphasize the seriousness of such crime, the legislature added a “No Early Release” provision to this statute, making those convicted of using a firearm during the commission of a crime ineligible for “probation, parole, discharge, or supervised release until that person has served the full term of imprisonment…” ..."
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