TexasCHLforum.com

The SCOTUS ruled correctly according to the law in this case, as they should do. The problem is Congress can't write coherent laws. There is a section of the code that says that for the following list of crimes, you get an extra sentence that must be run consecutively instead of concurrently with any other crimes you are convicted of. Several years later Congress wanted to add more crimes to the list of federal crime for using guns in other crimes. But instead of just adding the crimes to the first list and lengthening it, they added another whole section of code listing these crimes. This time they did not specify how the sentences should be run (concurrently or consecutively). Someone with a very good lawyer (props to the lawyer) realized this and appealed when the judge sentenced them to be run consecutively and referred to the first list.

The whole concept of add-on crimes like this makes no sense to me. If I use a knife to commit an armed robbery, am I somehow less dangerous than if I threatened them with a gun? But this way the feds get to take a prisoner instead of letting the states deal with him. It just seems wrong to me.