Man who brought AR-style rifle near Capitol sentenced to two years in prison

A 22-year-old man who brought a firearm near the Capitol has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Ahmir Lavon Merrell brought the AR-style rifle and 73 rounds of ammunition to the Capitol grounds last fall. Earlier this year, Merrel pleaded guilty to one count of illegal receipt of a firearm.

In addition to two years in prison, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Merrell to serve three years of supervised release, according to a Department of Justice press release.

Last November, someone approached a Capitol Police officer regarding a man who looked to be holding a gun on Capitol grounds. When officers approached him at a park near Washington, D.C.’s, Union Station, they demanded he put the gun down, but he refused. An officer used a stun gun on him, and he fell to the ground, where he was arrested.

Merrell said “words to the effect of ‘[for] you to get this gun from me, you are going to have to kill me,’” according to the DOJ.

During the arrest, police officers recovered a Diamondback Arms AR-Style rifle loaded with one .223 caliber round in the chamber and equipped with a 30-round high-capacity ammunition feeding device containing 26 rounds. 

“Straightforward as this case may appear at first blush, however, in many ways this is a unique gun possession case. The facts and circumstances clearly show that Mr. Merrell did not possess a firearm in order to commit any other crimes,” A.J. Kramer, Merrell’s public defender, said. “He did not possess it to threaten or harm anyone. Tragically, the only person he wanted to harm that day was himself.”

Kramer said Merrell will seek mental health treatment while behind bars.