Wauwatosa attorney faces gun charges

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Wauwatosa attorney Thomas M. Barrett made his initial court appearance Tuesday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court for felony gun charges.

The sole practitioner faces felony charges for paying $400 to allegedly purchase stolen guns and illegal possession of a silencer. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and an additional three years of supervision.

According to court documents, Barrett was arrested Friday in the Mayfair Mall parking lot in Wauwatosa after purchasing two functional “prop guns” – a semiautomatic .22 caliber High Standard Sportking gun with a silencer attached and a 9 mm Smith & Wesson semiautomatic handgun.

According to court documents, an informant notified police that Barrett was a known gun collector and the Mayfair meeting and subsequent transaction was arranged at a predetermined location.

According to court documents, Barrett inspected the firearms and stated that one of the was “highly, highly, highly, highly illegal” and was a “Hitman’s gun.”

In an on-scene Miranda statement, Barrett admitted to arresting officer Dean Newport that he had 15 to 20 collector guns at home in safes, according to court documents.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 20.