Court Opinion

ID: 9728473
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 14:08:58.014057+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:48.856914
License: Public Domain

D. C. Riley, J.
(dissenting). Defendant pled guilty *443to three counts of armed robbery, contrary to MCL 750.529; MSA 28.797, and one count of felony-firearm, contrary to MCL 750.227(b); MSA 28.424(2), and was sentenced to concurrent four to ten year terms and a two year sentence respectively. He now appeals as of right.
Defendant’s sole contention on appeal is that, since he never personally possessed a firearm during the robberies but merely aided and abetted those who did, he cannot be convicted under the felony-firearm statute. There is presently a split of opinion in the Court of Appeals on this issue. See People v Tavolacci, 88 Mich App 470; 276 NW2d 919 (1979), People v Walter Johnson, 85 Mich App 654; 272 NW2d 605 (1978). With all due respect to the Johnson panel, I am persuaded (particularly in the wake of Wayne County Prosecutor v Recorder’s Court Judge, 406 Mich 374; 280 NW2d 793 [1979]), that Tavolacci should control this case, as its reasoning most closely executes the intent of the felony-firearm act. Neither the aider and abettor statute (MCL 767.39; MSA 28.979) nor the felony-firearm statute expressly or impliedly limits the persons encompassed by its terms. Further, punishing aiders and abettors is consistent with and supportive of the felony-firearm statute’s object of penalizing defendants who use firearms in the commission of felonies. Tavolacci, supra, 474-475.
"Punishment of those who aid and abet this crime serves as a deterrence to such aiding and abetting. Consequently less persons would be likely to act as aiders and abettors. This reduction serves as additional deterrence upon the commission of the crime as well, as there are likely to be persons who are unable or unwilling to commit the offense of 'felony-firearm’ without some assistance.” Id., 475.
*444In light of these considerations, I would find that the felony-firearm statute does extend to aiders and abettors like the defendant and, accordingly, would affirm.