DeKalb County has one of the highest crime rates within the Atlanta metropolitan area. Gun-related crimes and injuries as well as drive-by shootings are common in DeKalb County due to gang activity.
In order to lower the rates of crime and gun violence within DeKalb County and to improve public safety and quality of life within the county, the DeKalb County District Attorney prosecutes gun violence and offenses more harshly than other jurisdictions in Georgia. As a result, gun charges are the hardest to fight and make a DeKalb County gun lawyer necessary.
The most common offense that we see in DeKalb County involve pointing, brandishing, or discharging a pistol or other firearm. Additionally, weapons charges are often attached to more serious crimes. Generally, the possession of a firearm during the commission of another felony, like possession of drugs or a related charge.
Another common charge DeKalb County gun lawyers see is the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
An aggressive attorney experienced in handling gun charges will be able to pursue the best possible plea negotiations the DeKalb County District Attorney can offer. Someone that prosecutors have argued against before in trial may induce the State to offer a plea deal earlier on in the case.
An aggressive defense attorney will be able to give you a plea option to consider in lieu of going to trial. If you would like to reject the plea deal, your lawyer can take your case to trial and fight for your shot at a not guilty verdict.
Gun offenses vary. They go from misdemeanors, like carrying a weapon without a license, where generally you own an unregistered handgun or you are carrying a weapon in a fashion that will require you to have a concealed-carry permit. It is a misdemeanor, but if you do it more than once you are looking at more serious charges. They can land you in jail for up to five years.
Bringing firearms to unauthorized locations like schools is also a misdemeanor. However, if you do not have a license and you carry on school grounds, the charges are serious and you face stiff fines of up to $10,000.
The possession of or pointing a weapon at someone is a felony and is punishable by up to five years in prison. One of the most common charges is possession of a firearm in the commission of some other felony, generally a drug offense. The special thing about that charge is possession of that weapon will attach up to five years onto whatever your sentence is from the other charges. The legislature sees fit to especially target those who would carry firearms while committing other felonies, and as an attempt to deter that conduct, typically tacks on this five-year prison term to those faced with these charges.
One of the most common long-term repercussion of a conviction for any crime, but especially gun charges, is the effect on future employment possibilities. If you had a criminal history involving guns, it is a fact that many employers will choose not to offer you employment because the felon stigma is one item, but a felon with a firearms conviction makes employers weary for the safety of their own workplaces.
It is important to hire a gun lawyer in DeKalb County who will help you avoid having such a serious charge follow you around and hang on you for the rest of your life. They can also help you keep your unlimited prospects of future employment, which you may otherwise not have with that criminal record.
The DeKalb County District Attorney takes a very serious stand on prosecuting gun crimes. Again, the idea is the deterrence of gun violence and gun-related injuries due to the threat of serious future punishment. This means that Assistant District Attorneys are mandated to not budge on heavy sentences during plea negotiations prior to trial.
It means that our clients are faced with the option of a not-very-good plea deal versus a trial.
It is important that you have an experienced trial lawyer who can give you that option when faced with a raw plea deal, a plea deal that you are not happy with, a plea deal that may include serious prison time, when you are facing gun charges in DeKalb County.
Plus, it is a difficult and a stressful event for both the defendant and the attorneys involved. However, when you have an experienced lawyer by your side who has argued these cases before, has represented many criminal defendants in an ample amount of jury trials, you will know you are in good hands and will be well taken care of, your constitutional rights will be protected, and you will have a better shot at reaching a not guilty verdict.
You are afforded the level of protection of beyond a reasonable doubt, meaning the prosecution has to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. When faced with gun charges, it is important to know that you have that option and that you have an attorney who is capable of seeing your case through all the way to a verdict.
518 Georgia Avenue
Phone: (423) 888-3030 
