The Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) of 1984 is a federal law that imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for individuals who are convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm that already have 3 previous violent felony or serious drug offense convictions. Like other “three strikes” laws, this statute was designed to deter and punish recidivism.
There is no time restriction on which past offenses qualify for the purposes of the ACCA and the three offenses can result from concurrent sentences. Under these circumstances, a party who has only spent one period of time in jail can still be subject to the minimum sentence requirement of the ACCA. That said, multiple charges stemming from the same criminal action are insufficient to satisfy the 3 convictions requirement. See: United States of America v. Johnny Lee Wallace, 889 F.2d 580 (5th Cir. 1989).
The ACCA has been controversial ever since its passage and certain parts of it have since been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. In particular, the “residual clause” of the act which granted trial courts wide discretion regarding what constitutes a violent felony was deemed unconstitutionally vague and, therefore, is no longer enforceable. See: Johnson v. United States (2015).
[Last reviewed in March of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team]