Mazi Smith facing felony weapon charge

Really hope he just got pulled over with a handgun in the glove box and not something worse. But come on Mazi, this hurts the team and your draft stock. Why did you need a gun in AA anyways??

Hmmm, not a crime here (Texas), because of constitutional carry. Curious as to whether the Michigan law has ever been challenged. US Supreme Court has been pretty clear that the 2A does protect the right to own and bear arms. 
Not that this excuses a player from knowingly trying to buck the law (knowingly because ignorance is no excuse)

again, asking a friend…

To quote the great Jay-Z:

"I thought this was America people!

Guilty until proven innocent huh?

That's how we workin huh? Okay"

Let the man get his side of the story out there before we immediately jump and say how irresponsible of him and the program.

A lot of people here either jumping to conclusions that this was covered up for a while, or trying to justify it by saying it's legal in other states.  I think these are both bad takes. We have no idea what happened, what the process has been at the county or university, or whether anything was hidden or delayed - we'll see. But if he broke a Michigan law in Michigan, he should be held responsible for that. Michigan makes Michigan law. Texas or Indiana or wherever doesn't decide what's allowed here. I just hope he didn't actually do anything that bad 

Everything about this makes me extremely angry. Why sit on the charges for two months? Why is Michigan so vastly underprepared to respond to this, like always? Why did he play in the interim? Just, why?

Does Michigan ever learn when it comes to getting ahead of the story and dealing with issues proactively?

This sucks. It sucks for Mazi, it sucks for us.

Next man up.

I mean look, I carry, but I know the laws in and out and what, where, and when I can carry. Mazi is a young guy but when you start to carry a deadline weapon, there is no room for misunderstandings. I really don't give him any leeway here. I feel bad, but you have to be locked in when you are carrying or have a weapon in your possession. 

Man...this just sucks all around and I don't even mean about football. 

This wouldn't even be an issue if Michigan was as forward thinking as other states regarding Constitutional carry, the thought that I have to pay a fee to the state to exercise my God-Given right to self-defense is beyond ludicrous.

That being said he should have taken steps to ensure that he was in compliance with the law.

Quick look at Emoni's situation and he was arrested on the spot as he also altered the serial number.  Makes a bit more sense why his item moved so quickly in comparison to this.  

I haven't seen many details on the situation. The concealed carry laws are a little confusing. Storing the gun in the same compartment as ammo, even if they are placed in the back of the car, is still considered illegal without a CPL. That being said, I don't know how a cop would notice this unless it was on Mazi or placed somewhere in plain view next to him.

As others have said, a gun is no joke. It can be a very useful tool, but also very dangerous (duh). You need to be aware of the situations you are in when carrying. This whole ordeal seems like a result of a lack of awareness. Is this just a stupid mistake? Probably. We all make stupid mistakes, but it definitely has significantly more weight to it if a gun is involved and therefore, no bueno.

Not good. Weird timing.  Will wait for the facts to come out before judging.  

So what does this mean? Is he out now? 
 

*Edit! Saw update! Damn, bummer for him. Next man.

The US has a gun problem. Period. 

Every player should have a CCP. You won't always know if a car you are in also contains a weapon. Seems like a checklist item for the first week on campus.

Bad couple days for college football players, coaches and the law

Wow after reading this thread I feel like I'm the only fool not carrying a gun on them at all times. 

This will be a real test for Harbaugh. He has to suspend him, unless the facts show it wasn’t his gun and he wasn’t aware of its proximity to his person ( the “I borrowed my friend’s car and didn’t know there was a gun in the glove box “ defense). Just what the coaches need heading into the BIG championship game. Shit!

FWIW - This could be as simple as an oversight mistake.  When I was young and dumb I was headed to the range in Ohio (before the concealed license) and got pulled over for a rolling stop.  I had an SUV and my guns were clearly visible in the back as the cop walked up.  I was cited for the failure to stop and he inspected the guns.  I had removed the mags and stored them separately per the law, but I forgot about the round in the chamber in one of my pistols.  

I was lucky that the officer saw it as what it was, a stupid oversight and let me off the hook.  He did have every right to charge me with a felony according to the law at the time.

I'm not saying this is what happened in this case, but it is an example of how easy it is to accidentally commit a weapons felony if you simply forget yourself for a split second.  I've heard of people who open carry getting busted because they didn't realize that their shirt came untucked (at least that is the defense they used).  This should go without saying, but you have to be hyper-aware when you are dealing with firearms because it is too easy to break the law without even realizing you are doing it.

We don't know the full story yet, but if I ever imagined a person that wouldn't likely ever need to carry a gun, it would be a person that looks and has the capability of someone very similar to Mazi. 

What a dumb move.

The OP link indicated "this is a developing story"

And the author of the article has since posted this, clarifying the timeline is nothing remarkable and the process has been nothing other than by-the-book:

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/university-michigan/wolverines/2022/12/01/michigan-football-mazi-smith-felony-gun-charge-washtenaw-county-prosecutor/69692841007/