United States v. Christopher Stanton, Jr.

── United States v. Christopher Stanton, Jr. ── Case No.: 25-12351 Court: Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Date: March 30, 2026 Category: NEW USCA11 Case: 25-12351 Document: 20-1 Date Filed: 03/30/2026 Page: 1 of 8 NOT FOR PUBLICATION In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit ____________________ No. 25-12351 Non-Argument Calendar ____________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL STANTON, JR., Defendant-Appellant. ____________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida D.C. Docket No. 3:24-cr-00107-TKW-1 ____________________ Before JILL PRYOR, BRANCH, and HULL, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: After pleading guilty, Christopher Stanton, Jr., appeals his convictions for (1) possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and USCA11 Case: 25-12351 Document: 20-1 Date Filed: 03/30/2026 Page: 2 of 8 2 Opinion of the Court 25-12351 (2) possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). For the first time on appeal, Stanton contends that both § 924(c)(1)(A)(i) and § 922(g)(1), as applied to him, violate the Second Amendment, and thus the district court plainly erred in sentencing him and imposing judgment. As to § 922(g)(1), Stanton acknowledges that this Circuit’s binding precedent expressly forecloses his constitutional arguments. See United States v. Rozier, 598 F.3d 768 (11th Cir. 2010); United States v. Dubois, 139 F.4th 887 (11th Cir. 2025) (“Dubois II”). As to § 924(c)(1)(A)(i), Stanton fails to cite any precedent from the Supreme Court or this Circuit holding that § 924(c)(1)(A)(i) is unconstitutional, and thus any alleged error was not plain. See United States v. Moran, 57 F.4th 977, 984 (11th Cir. 2023). After careful review, we affirm Stanton’s § 922(g)(1) and § 924(c)(1)(A)(i) convictions. I. BACKGROUND On August 7, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Stanton’s residence. In Stanton’s bedroom, investigators found cocaine, marijuana, and ammunition. In the kitchen, investigators found a Raven Arms .25 caliber handgun, more ammunition, more cocaine, more marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. After being advised of his Miranda rights, Stanton admitted to law enforcement that he (1) sold marijuana and cocaine; and (2) knew about the .25 caliber handgun in his kitchen. USCA11 Case: 25-12351 Document: 20-1 Date Filed: 03/30/2026 Page: 3 of 8 25-12351 Opinion of the Court 3 During the search of Stanton’s residence, investigators also located Stanton’s cell phone. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Stanton’s phone. In the cell phone extraction, investigators found multiple images of firearms, illegal narcotics, and large sums of United States currency. At the time of his conduct, Stanton knew he was a felon. Stanton has (1) a 2017 Florida conviction for possession of cocaine; (2) another 2019 Florida conviction for possession of cocaine; and (3) a 2019 Florida conviction for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. In November 2024,