Lil Wayne charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon

Carter’s lawyer, Howard Srebnick, wrote in a statement that while his client was found to be carrying a gold-plated handgun in his luggage on a private plane, “there is no allegation that he ever fired it, brandished it, used it or threatened to use it. There is no allegation that he is a dangerous person. The charge is that because he was convicted of a felony in the past, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm.”

“Although the Supreme Court has not yet decided the constitutional question,” Srebnick continued, “Justice Amy Coney Barrett recently wrote an appellate dissenting opinion in which she stated that ‘Absent evidence that he either belongs to a dangerous category or bears individual markers of risk, permanently disqualifying [a convicted felon] from possessing a gun violates the Second Amendment.’”

The Miami Herald broke the story of authorities searching the luxury jet on Dec. 23, 2019, after which Srebnick sent the newspaper a “cease and desist” letter. In addition to the gun and bullets, law enforcement found drugs and nearly $26,000 in cash, according to the Herald, which also reported that Carter’s status as a felon comes from a weapons case in New York from more than a decade ago for which he served eight months at Rikers Island jail.

The popular rapper, who has won five Grammys and been nominated for 24, faced backlash in October after expressing support for President Trump and “what he’s done so far with criminal reform.”

“Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump,” Carter tweeted with a photo of the two men. “He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done.” Carter mentioned the “Platinum Plan,” which, according to the Trump campaign, was designed to “increase access to capital in black communities by almost $500 billion” over four years. A campaign adviser tweeted last month that the initiative had been developed with input from the rapper Ice Cube, who also faced criticism for aligning himself with Trump.

50 Cent, who seemingly endorsed Trump on Instagram in October, publicly encouraged Carter to leverage his relationship with Trump while sharing the news of Carter’s gun possession charge.

“Wait a minute Trump still got 63 days left, call him wayne,” he tweeted Tuesday. “Get that fool on the phone.”