Legal concerns are mounting for San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Aldon Smith. Right after being put on indefinite leave for a DUI arrest, NBC has reported that Smith will be facing felony weapons charges from a June 2012 shooting .
From NBC Bay Area :
Prosecutors on Wednesday said Smith is expected to "self-surrender" later this month on charges that he had illegal weapons, which, according to documents, were bought in Arizona in 2011 – days before the 49ers played the Arizona Cardinals in December of that year. These types of assault weapons cannot be legally bought in Arizona by California residents or used in California at all, according to District Attorney Jeff Rosen.
Ammunition, magazines, and five rifles including – an Armalite AR10-T .308 caliber rifle, a Bushmaster ACR rifle chambered for 5.56mm NATO and a Bushmaster Carbon-15 .223 caliber – were found in Smith's home by Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies following the June 29 party last year, and prosecutors said none were registered with the California Department of Justice.
“California’s prohibition of these powerful weapons is not about hunting or target practice," Rosen said in a statement. "It is about interrupting the long history of death, carnage and grief assault weapons have inflicted on California communities.”
From driving while intoxicated to buying illegal guns, it seems that Aldon Smith's career has taken an unfortunate turn. The more we find out, the worse it gets. Returning to the 49ers this season isn't even the concern anymore, we're wondering if and when he'll play again, period.
