A federal appeals court has upheld the 108-month prison sentence for Jaquan Bridges, a Memphis resident convicted of possessing a machinegun. The announcement was made by Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
The incident began on February 1, 2022, when a Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy saw Bridges driving near I-240 and Walnut Grove while looking at his cell phone. When the deputy attempted to intervene, Bridges fired gunshots at the deputy’s vehicle before fleeing. He led law enforcement on a 10-mile chase that ended after he struck several vehicles and crashed into a concrete barrier at I-240 and Highway 385. Upon arrest, deputies found a Glock .40 caliber pistol equipped with a machinegun conversion device and an extended magazine.
Bridges pleaded guilty to possessing a machinegun on February 6, 2024. Senior United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes sentenced him to 108 months in federal prison with three years of supervised release on September 17, 2024. Federal sentences do not allow for parole.
Bridges appealed his conviction, arguing that his prosecution violated his Second Amendment rights. However, in an opinion filed August 7, 2025, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed both the sentence and the constitutionality of federal laws regulating machineguns. This marks the first published decision by the Sixth Circuit addressing this issue since the Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen.
According to officials, “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.” They added: “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.”
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Eileen Kuo prosecuted it and handled the appeal for the government.
For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods and its initiatives to reduce violent crime through partnerships between law enforcement agencies and local communities across various U.S. regions see https://www.justice.gov/psn.
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