Edlando Watson was charged with federal gun possession after a May 2022 shooting incident in Madison, Wisconsin, where an eyewitness said "Meek" fired shots as she fled a residence. Police connected Watson to the nickname through his masonry business and later found guns in a storage unit linked to him through DNA evidence and recorded jail calls.
Chief Judge Brennan wrote that Watson's prior conviction for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute qualified as an "inherently dangerous" felony that justified his disarmament under historical traditions. "Congress reasonably determined that a felony drug conviction is a 'dangerous' crime," Brennan explained, noting that "drugs and guns together are dangerous" and citing the "link between drugs and violence."
Watson had challenged both the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(g)(1) as applied to him and the admissibility of DNA evidence linking him to firearms found in a storage unit. The district court rejected both arguments, and Watson pleaded guilty while preserving his right to appeal the constitutional and evidentiary issues.
The ruling leaves open whether non-violent felons could successfully challenge the federal gun ban on a case-by-case basis, with the court noting the circuits have split on whether "Congress may deem non-violent felons 'dangerous.'" The decision aligns with recent Supreme Court precedent requiring gun laws to be consistent with historical traditions of firearm regulation.