One hundred more federal prison inmates had their sentences commuted by President Obama Thursday. This latest round of commutations makes for a total of 774, more than the previous 11 presidents combined. White House counsel Neil Eggleston said in a statement that the majority of inmates who were granted clemency were in prison for “drug-related crimes under outdated sentencing laws,” and are for people “who have demonstrated that they are deserving of a second chance at freedom.”
However, in contradiction with his public crime control and anti-gun agenda, 15 of these inmates were convicted for gun-related crimes—either possessing a gun illegally as a convicted felon or using a weapon during a drug transaction. Another eight individuals were convicted of trafficking in more than five kilos of cocaine, and a ninth person was convicted of trafficking 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana.
