Opinion ID: 2973267
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Instruction as to Type of Weapon

Text: Ward contends that the district court plainly erred when it instructed the jury on Count Three, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and did not instruct the jury to find which weapon or weapons Ward possessed. The Indictment lists three weapons: one Norinko SKS rifle, one Rossi .357 revolver, and one Colt .22. Two of the weapons, the Rossi .357 revolver and Colt .22, carry a penalty of five years; the Norinko SKS rifle carries a penalty of ten years. 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). Ward notes that the jury was not given a specific instruction or interrogatory to determine his guilt or innocence as to possessing the Norinko SKS rifle, as opposed to the other firearms listed in the Indictment. Ward asserts this Court has held that if the Indictment includes one substantive drug trafficking offense and separate counts under § 924(c) for weapons that fall into more than one weapons category as defined by the statute, special interrogatories or 10 verdict forms should be submitted, thereby requiring a jury that renders a guilty verdict on the gun charge to specify which category or categories of weapons it unanimously has determined the defendant was using or carrying. United States v. Sims, 975 F.2d 1225, 1235 (6th Cir. 1992). Ward also notes that this Court recently held that the mandatory minimum of § 924(c) “is not binding on a sentencing court unless the type of firearm involved is charged in the indictment and proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.” United States v. Harris, 397 F.3d 404, 406 (6th Cir. 2005). Accordingly, Ward contends that the district court erred when instructing the jury that it did not have to decide which particular firearm he possessed and his conviction should therefore be overturned. The Government notes first that because Ward did not object to the jury instructions that produced a general verdict at trial, he consented to the instructions. Therefore, we review his claim for plain error only. United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 731 (1993). Plain error review involves finding an error that is plain and that affects a defendant’s substantial rights. This Court should reverse only if the forfeited error “seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings.” Id. at 732 (internal quotation marks omitted). The Government also alleges that Ward’s reliance on Harris is misplaced and that the holding does not require the Court to abandon the sentence. Specifically, the 11 semi-automatic weapon was charged in the Indictment, albeit along with two other firearms. Accordingly, the Government contends that the district court is entitled to find that no reasonable juror could have concluded that Ward did not jointly and constructively possess the semi-automatic assault rifle, thereby concluding that the ten-year mandatory minimum is appropriate. The evidence in this case was overwhelming that Ward possessed narcotics and firearms at the time of his arrest. He was sitting at a table with marijuana and two guns, including the semi-automatic assault rifle, in front of him. We conclude that because no rational jury could have determined that Ward possessed one of those guns but not the other, any error regarding the jury instruction cannot be said to affect the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Accordingly, Ward is unable to establish that the district court committed plain error in failing to require a special verdict form or giving a weapon-specific jury instruction.