Supreme Court of the United States

“ According to the Government, §924 (c) (5) adds two penalties together when death results: Someone convicted of murder resulting from the use of such ammunition faces a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence under §924 (c) (5) (A) plus an additional sentence for murder under §924 (c) (5) (B) (i) . Tr. of Oral Arg. 27, 31.
But subsection (j) is cast from a different mold. Section 924 (c) (5) groups the two penalties together and joins them with the word “and.” In contrast, several unrelated subsections separate subsections (c) and (j) structurally, and nothing joins their penalties textually. ”

“ After a jury trial, Lora was convicted of aiding and abetting a violation of §924 (j) (1) , which penalizes “ [a] person who, in the course of a violation of subsection (c) , causes the death of a person through the use of a firearm,” where “the killing is a murder.” See also §2 (a) (an aider and abettor is punishable “as a principal”) . Lora was also convicted of conspiring to distribute drugs, in violation of 21 U. S. C. §§841 and 846.
At sentencing, the District Court rejected two of Lora’s arguments about his §924 (j) conviction. ”

“ Subsection (j) , because of the voluntary manslaughter, would command that, per §1112, the person “shall be ... imprisoned not more than 15 years.” §§924 (j) (2) , 1112 (b) . To fashion a sentence “not less than 30 years” and “not more than 15 years”—that is, to obey both subsections (c) and (j) —is impossible. And Congress has not required that unachievable result. Instead, subsection (j) supplies its own comprehensive set of penalties that apply instead of subsection (c) ’s. ”

“ A
This case concerns federal laws that criminalize the use, carrying, and possession of firearms in connection with certain crimes. The relevant parts of that scheme are spread across two subsections of 18 U. S. C. §924. ”