FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT APRIL8, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H]

I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 13593 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 7 - 8 0 0 3 9 - C R - DT KH U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f

– A p p e lle e , v ersu s E L I U G A R C I A , D e f e n d a n t– A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( A p r i l8, 2008) B efo re B A R K E T T , M A R C U S an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:As is noted at the closeof this opinion, there is additional evidenc e that supports the 1 district court’s determination. Specifically , Garcia madea statement from which onecould infer that hepo sse sse d th efire arm to pro te c t hi s d

rug s f ro m th e ft . Fur

thermore , in

there c ord excerp ts provided by

Garcia, the district c ourt judg e explicitly stated that he did not re ly solely on the proxi mity of the gun to the drug s to find that Garc ia possessed the gun in fac ilitation of the other f e l o ny. 2 E l i u G arci a ap p eal s h i s 9 6 -m o n th sen t en ce fo r p o ssessi o n o f a fi rearm b y a c onvi c t e d f

e l on, i n vi ol a t i on of

18 U . S . C . § 922( g) ( 1) . G a r c i aa r gue s tha tthe d is tr ic t e rr e d b y ap p ly in g af o u r - le v e l e n h a n c e m e n t to h is b a s e o f f e n s e le v e l, p u r s u a n t to U .S .S .G . § 2 K 2 .1 ( b ) ( 6 ) , f o rp o s s e s s io n o f

af ir e a rm in c o n n e c tio n w ith a nothe rf e l ony of f e ns e w he r e , a c c or di ng t o hi s c l a i m s , the onl ye vi de nc e of f a c i l i t a t i on w a s as pe c ul a t i ve i nf e r e nc e ba s e d on the pr oxi m i ty of the gun t o the drug s f ou nd i n h i s c ar . 1

“ [ W e ] r e vi e w [ ] the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s appl i c a t i on a nd i nt e rpr e t a t i on of the s e n te n c in g g u id e lin e s u n d e rth e d e n o v o s ta n d a r d o f r e v ie w , b u t r e v ie w [ ] its f in d in g s o f

f a c t f o rc le a re rr o r .” U n ite d S ta te s v . R h in d , 2 8 9 F .3 d 6 9 0 , 6 9 3 ( 1 1 th C i r . 2002) . “ F oraf

a c tua l f i ndi ng t o be ‘ c l e a r l y e rr one ous , ’ [ w e ] , ‘ a f t e rr e vi e w i ng a l l of the e vi de nc e , m us tbe l e f tw i th ade f

i ni t e a nd f

i rm c onvi c t i on tha tam i s t a ke ha s be e n c om m i tt e d. ’ ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. R odr i gue z - L ope z , 363 F . 3d 1134, 1137 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) ( c ita tio n o m itte d ) . In ca l cul at i ng the gu i del i ne ra ng e f or a f i re arm po ss es si on offe nse und er § 922( g) , af

our - l e ve l i nc r e a s e t o the ba s e of f e ns e l e ve l i s r e qui r e d “ [ i ] f the3

d efen d an t. . . p o ssessed an y fi rearm . . . i n co n n ect i o n w i th an o th er fel o n y o ffen se

. . . . ” U . S . S . G . § 2 K 2. 1(b)(6). E ff ec t i ve N ov em ber 1, 20 06 , the G ui del i ne w as a m e n d e d to a d d th e f

o llo w in g c o m m e n ta ry : 14 . “ In C on nect i on W i th”. -- ( A ) I n G e ne r a l . - - S ubs e c t i on[ ] ( b) ( 6) . . . appl [ i e s ] i f the f i r e a rm or am m un i t i on fa ci l i t at ed, or had the po t ent i al of fa ci l i t at i ng , another f e lo n y o f f e n s e . . . . (B ) A pp l i ca t i on W hen O ther O ff ense i s B urgl ary or D rug O ff ense . -- S ubs e c t i on[ ] ( b) ( 6) . . . appl [ i e s ] . . . i n the c a s e of adrug tr a f

f i c ki ng o ffen se i n w h i ch a fi rearm i s fo u n d i n cl o se p ro x i m i ty t o d ru g s, d ru g -m an u factu ri n g m at eri al s, o r d ru g p arap h ern al i a. In th ese cases, appl i c a t i on of

s ubs e c t i on[ ] ( b) ( 6) . . . i s w a rr a nt e d be c aus e the pr e s e nc e of

the f i r e a rm ha s the pot e nt i a l of f a c i l i t a t i ng a nothe rf

e l ony o f f e n s e . . . U . S . S . G . § 2K 2. 1 c m t . n. 14 ( 2006) ( e m pha s i s a dde d) . “ [ C ] om m e nt a ry i n the G u id e lin e s M a n u a l th a t in te rp r e ts o re x p la in s ag u id e lin e is au th o r ita tiv e u n le s s it v io la te s th e C o n s titu tio n o raf e d e r a l s ta tu te , o ris in c o n s is te n t w ith , o rap la in ly e rr one ous r e a di ng of

, tha tgui de l i ne . ” S t i ns on v. U ni t e d S t a t e s , 508 U . S . 36, 38 (199 3). I n c a s e s a ddr e s s i ng the “ i n c onne c t i on w i th” l a ngua ge pr i ort o the r e c e nt A m endm ent , w e, re l yi ng on anal og ou s gui del i ne prov i si on s, have sugg es t ed that m er e posse ss i on m i gh tbe enou gh t o app l y the enhancem enti n ci rc um st ance s w h e r e it is r e a s o n ab le to a s s u m e th a t th e d e f e n d a n t p o s s e s s e d th e f

ir e a rm to4

pr e ve ntthe the f

tof pr ope rty r e l a t e d t o the unde r l y i ng of f e ns e . S e e R hi nd, 289 F .3 d a t 6 9 4 - 9 6 ( h o ld in g th a t d e f e n d a n ts p o s s e s s e d f

ir e a rm s in c o n n e c tio n w ith c ount e r f e i t i ng of f e ns e s w he r e i tw a s r e a s onabl e t o c onc l ude tha tthe pr e s e nc e of the f i r e a rm s pr ot e c t e d the c ount e r f e i tm one y ) ; U ni t e d S t a t e s v. J a c ks on, 276 F . 3d 1 2 3 1 , 1 2 3 4 - 3 5 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) ( n o tin g w e h a v e h e ld , in a d d r e s s in g th e “in conn ec t i on w i th” re qu i re m entof anal og ou s gui del i ne prov i si on s, thatan enhancem enti s properl y app l i ed w here i tw as re as on abl e t o ass um e posse ss i on w as f orpr e ve nt i on of

the f t ) . A l though the s e c a s e s w e r e de c i de d pr i ort o the A m e n d m e n t, af

ir e a rm p o s s e s s e d f

o rth e f t p r o te c tio n w o u ld h a v e th e p o te n tia l to f a c i l i t a t e the unde r l y i ng of f e ns e . S e e J a c ks on, 276 F . 3d a t1234- 35. H er e a lo ad ed fire ar m w as d isco v er ed in clo se p ro x im ity to a f ew w ee k ’s w orth of G a r c i a ’ s pe r s ona l us e drugs . M or e ove r , w he n G a r c i aw a s a rr e s t e d, he a s ke d the a rr e s t i ng of

f i c e rnott o t a ke the drugs be c aus e “ the y w i l l ki l l m e . ” F r om th e s e f a c to r s , a n in f

e r e n c e c o u ld b e d r a w n th a t G a r c iac a rr ie d th e f ir e a rm to pr e ve ntthe the f

tof the drugs . T hus , the di s tr i c tc our tdi d notc l e a r l y e rrby f i ndi ng th a t th e f ir e a rm w a s u s e d in c o n n e c tio n w ith G a r c ia ’s f e lo n y d ru g p o s s e s s io n . A c c o r d i n g l y , w e a f

f i rm.

AF F I RME D.