Supreme Court of Georgia
Coates v. the State.
August 27, 2018818 S.E.2d 622
Summary
The court held that the statute prohibiting a convicted felon from receiving, possessing, or transporting any firearm authorizes only one prosecution and sentence for the simultaneous possession of multiple firearms. Applying the statute's plain meaning and construing the criminal provision strictly, the court concluded that the unit of prosecution is the general possession of firearms, not the number of firearms possessed. The court reversed the appellate judgment, vacated the four convictions and sentences, and remanded for conviction and resentencing on one count.