Tennessee Felon Sentenced to Over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms

Bowling Green, KY – A Lafayette, Tennessee man was sentenced yesterday to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm after previously been convicted of a felony.   

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division made the announcement.

According to court documents, Christopher R. Blankenship, 42, of Lafayette, Tennessee, was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a Ruger, model P94, .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol, a Smith and Wesson, model SD40 VE, .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol, and ammunition on June 12, 2022, in Allen County, Kentucky. Blankenship was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

On July 31, 2013, in Macon Circuit Court, Macon County, Tennessee, Blankenship was convicted of vehicular homicide-intoxication.

On March 28, 2011, in Macon Circuit Court, Macon County, Tennessee, Blankenship was convicted of aggravated assault.   

There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the ATF Bowling Green Field Office with assistance from the Allen County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark J. Yurchisin II and R. Nicholas Rabold, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

###