Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A federal grand jury here returned an indictment on Wednesday, charging a Muhlenberg County man with firearms trafficking and dealing in firearms without a license.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Kentucky, the indictment alleges that between June 1, 2023, and September 14, 2023, in Muhlenberg County, David Smith, 57, of Greenville engaged in firearms trafficking when he transferred or otherwise disposed of 13 handguns to a person whose possession of the firearms Smith knew, or had reasonable cause to know, would constitute a felony under federal law.

Smith is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on October 26, 2023, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.  If convicted, Smith faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, however, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The Bowling Green office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in investigating the case, which is part of the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). The purpose of the program is to bring 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.