A 21-year-old Pontiac man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after he allegedly waved a silver Glock-style pistol fitted with a switch device at his former girlfriend outside his own home. Daveon Hall is accused of possessing a machine gun and brandishing it in public during a confrontation that unfolded as the woman came to collect her belongings.
According to The Oakland Press, Hall's former girlfriend had gone to his home with friends to retrieve her property. The group was parked near Hall's residence when the alleged incident took place, the paper reports. Investigators later recovered the weapon from Hall's home, and it was described as consistent with a 3D-printed firearm that carried no serial number or manufacturer markings.
Charges Carry Felony and Misdemeanor Penalties
Hall is charged with possession of a dangerous weapon-machine gun, a felony, and brandishing a firearm in public, a misdemeanor, per the same report. The outlet notes that the machine gun possession charge carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000, while the brandishing charge carries up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $100. His court file indicated that arraignment was pending Monday in 50th District Court.
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office reported the allegations and the weapon's details to the newspaper. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald was quoted saying leaving is often the most dangerous time in a relationship for a woman, and that an untraceable, unregulated firearm can make an already vulnerable time more dangerous.
What Michigan Law Says About Machine Guns and Brandishing
Under the Michigan Penal Code, a machine gun is defined as a firearm that shoots, or is designed to shoot, automatically more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger — the kind of rapid-fire capability a switch device is meant to enable on a semi-automatic pistol. Separately, state law prohibits a person from willfully and knowingly brandishing a firearm in public, except in limited circumstances spelled out in the statute.
The weapon recovered from Hall's home fits into a broader pattern federal authorities have flagged around privately made firearms. The ATF has reported that privately made firearms recovered by law enforcement from potential crime scenes have been linked to 692 homicides or attempted homicides nationally, though the agency's figures do not establish any specific trend tied to Hall's case. In a separate case out of Indiana, the U.S. Department of Justice has noted that machine-gun conversion devices, like switches, are themselves considered machine guns under federal law and are illegal for individuals to produce, possess or sell even when not installed on a firearm.
No plea, attorney statement, or case disposition has been made public following the reported pending arraignment.
