RAPPER JA RULE STARTS JAIL SENTENCE FOR GUN CHARGES.

Ja Rule began a two-year prison sentence Wednesday on gun charges, becoming the latest in a long line of rappers to get in trouble for firearms possession. Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, pleaded guilty in December to attempted criminal possession of an unregistered, .40 caliber handgun and was sentenced to two years behind bars and 18 months of supervised release.The rapper was caught with the pistol in his sports car after a 2007 concert in Manhattan.

He had been performing alongside rapper Lil Wayne, who was also charged with gun possession in a separate arrest and spent much of 2010 in prison."Carrying an illegal gun in New York City puts the safety of all New Yorkers at risk," said District Attorney Cyrus Vance."Whether you are a Grammy-nominated musician or a teenager carrying a gun for a friend, justice is blind. This sentence should put all illegal gun owners in New York on notice."A more severe punishment could have been expected had Ja Rule gone to trial and been convicted.