Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40868/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40868-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Michael Dean Lang
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined

that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent

except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.

R. 47.5.4.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

F I L E D

February 18, 2004

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

 

No. 03-40868

Conference Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

MICHAEL DEAN LANG,

Defendant-Appellant.

--------------------

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Eastern District of Texas

USDC No. 6:02-CR-78-1

--------------------

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, EMILIO M. GARZA, and PRADO, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Michael Dean Lang appeals the sentence imposed by the

district court following his guilty-plea conviction for

possession of stolen firearms. Lang argues that the district

court should not have increased his offense level by four levels

under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(5) because it already had increased

his offense level by two levels under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(4). 

Lang concedes that in United States v. Luna, 165 F.3d 316

(5th Cir. 1999), this court rejected the argument that he

 Case: 03-40868 Document: 0051569438 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/18/2004
No. 03-40868

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advances, but he notes that other circuits have held otherwise. 

He thus seeks to preserve the argument for Supreme Court review. 

 This court reviews the district court’s interpretation of

the Guidelines de novo. Luna, 165 F.3d at 322. However, “it is

the firm rule of this circuit that one panel may not overrule the

decisions of another.” United States v. Taylor, 933 F.2d 307,

313 (5th Cir. 1991). In Luna, 165 F.3d at 323, this court held

that the firearms Guidelines permit separate enhancements for the

firearms being stolen, under § 2K2.1(b)(4), and for the same

firearms being possessed during the commission of the underlying

felony offense of burglary, under § 2K2.1(b)(5). Because Lang’s

argument is directly foreclosed by the precedent of this court,

the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.

 Case: 03-40868 Document: 0051569438 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/18/2004