FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT N ove m be r 30, 2005 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 04- 11921 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 3 - 0 0 3 5 8 - C R - T - 2 7 - T GW U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s S I D N E Y R . B E A C H E R , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( N ove m be r30, 2005) B efo re A N D E R S O N , H U L L an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: S i dn eyB ea cherappeal s hi s c on vi ct i on for posse ss i on of an un re gi st er ed2

de s truc t i ve de vi c e , i n vi ol a t i on of 26 U.S.C. §§ 58 61 and 5 87 1. O n app ea l , B ea cher a r gue s tha tthe e vi de nc e pr e s e nt e d a ttr i a l w a s i ns uf f i c i e ntt o s uppor te i the rthe di stri ctcourt ’ s deni al of hi s m ot i on for j ud gm entof ac qu i tt al or the j ury ver di ct because there w as no evi dence thatthe devi ce i n q uest i on w as m ade t o b e a d e s tru c tiv e d e v ic e , p u r s u a n t to 2 6 U .S .C . § 5 8 4 5 . H e a r g u e s th a t h is d e v ic e f e ll w i th i n th e § 5 8 4 5 (f) ex cl u si o n fo r d ev i ces n o td esi g n ed o r red esi g n ed as w eap o n s, b e c a u s e it w a s o n ly af

ir e w o rk in te n d e d ju s t to p r o d u c e alo u d n o is e . P o in tin g to U ni t e d S t a t e s v. W or s t i ne , 808 F . S upp. 663 ( N . D . I nd. 1992) , a nd U ni t e d S t a t e s v. H a m m ond, 371 F . 3d 776 ( 11th C i r . 2004) , B e a c he ra r gue s tha t , be c a us e the de s i gn o f th e d e v ic e d id n o t c o n ta in e x tr aite m s in te n d e d a s s h r ap n e l, it w a s n o t a destruct i ve devi ce . P oi nt i ng t o charac t er i st i cs m ent i on ed i n H am m on d, B ea cher f ur the ra r gue s tha thi s de vi c e w a s notde s i gne d a s aw e apon, obj e c t i ve l y or s u b je c tiv e ly , b e c a u s e h is d e v ic e d id n o t c o n ta in a n y o f th e ite m s m e n tio n e d in H am m o n d th atco u l d cau se a d ev i ce t o b e cl assi fi ed as d estru ct i v e. B each er al so c ont e nds tha thi s de vi c e w a s us e d onl y f orthe e nt e r t a i nm e ntpurpos e of c r e a t i ng a l oud noi s e a nd ha d no f e a tur e s tha tw oul d e l i m i na t e the e nt e rt a i nm e ntva l ue of the devi ce . W e r e vi e w “ de novo the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de ni a l of am ot i on f

orj udgm e ntof a c qui tt a l , appl y i ng the s a m e s t a nda r d us e d i n r e vi e w i ng the s uf f i c i e nc y of

the3

ev i d en ce. ” U n i t ed S t at es v . D escen t , 2 9 2 F . 3 d 7 0 3 , 7 0 6 (1 1 th C i r. 2 0 0 2 ). W e m u st det erm i ne w hether, vi ew i ng “ the fa ct s, and d ra w [i ng ] al l re as on abl e i nfer ence s there fr om , i n the l i gh tm ostfa vo rabl e t o the go vernm ent , ” a“ re as on abl e f ac t -f i nd er c oul d c onc l ude tha tthe e vi de nc e e s t abl i s he d the de f e nda nt ’ s gui l tbe y ond a r e a s onabl e doubt . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. H a ns e n, 262 F . 3d 1217, 1236 ( 11th C i r . 2001) ( i nt e rna l quot a t i ons a nd c i t a t i on om i tt e d) ; U ni t e d S t a t e s v. P i s t one , 177 F . 3d 957, 9 5 8 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 9 ) . T o con vi cta def

endantof po ss es si on of an un re gi st er ed destruct i ve devi ce , in v io la tio n o f

§ 5 8 6 1 ( d ) , th e g o v e rn m e n t m u s t s h o w th a t th e d e f e n d a n t k n o w in g ly pos s e s s e d ade s truc t i ve de vi c e tha tw a s notr e gi s t e r e d. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. C r a w f or d, 906 F . 2d 1531, 1534 ( 11th C i r . 1990) . T he gove rnm e nta l s o m us tpr ove tha tthe de f e nda ntkne w of

the f e a tur e s of

hi s de vi c e tha tbr oughti tw i thi n the s c ope of the s t a tut e . S t apl e s v. U ni t e d S t a t e s , 511 U . S . 600, 619, 114 S . C t . 1793, 1804, 128 L . E d. 2d 608 ( 1994) . H ow e ve r , the gove rnm e nti s notr e qui r e d t o pr ove tha tthe d e f e n d a n t k n e w th a t th e d e v ic e w a s a“f ir e a rm ” w ith in th e m e a n in g o f th e s ta tu te o rth a t r e g is tr a tio n w a s r e q u ir e d . U n ite d S ta te s v . O w e n s , 1 0 3 F .3 d 9 5 3 , 9 5 6 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 7 ) . U nde r§ 5845( f

) , ade s truc t i ve de vi c e i s , i n r e l e va ntpa r t , a ny ( 1) e xpl os i ve bom b, ( 2) w e apon, by w ha t e ve rna m e know n, tha tw i l l , ortha tr e a di l y m a y be4

c o n v e r te d to , “e x p e l ap r o je c tile b y th e a c tio n o f

a n e x p lo s iv e o ro th e rp r o p e lla n t, th e b a rr e l o rb a rr e ls o f

w h ic h h a v e ab o r e o f

m o r e th a n o n e - h a lf

in c h in d ia m e te r ,” or( 3) “ c om bi na t i on of

pa r t s e i the rde s i gne d ori nt e nde d f orus e i n c onve r t i ng a ny de vi c e i nt o ade s truc t i ve de vi c e a s de f i ne d. ” 26 U . S . C . § 5845( f ) ( 1) ( A ) , ( 2) , a nd (3). “ T he t erm ‘ destruct i ve devi ce ’ shal l no ti ncl ud e a ny devi ce w hi ch i s nei ther d e s ig n e d n o rr e d e s ig n e d f o ru s e a s aw e ap o n ,” o r“a n y d e v ic e , a lth o u g h o r ig in a lly de s i gne d f

orus e a s aw e apon, w hi c h i s r e de s i gne d f orus e a s as i gna l i ng, pyrot ec hn i c, l i ne throw i ng , sa fe ty, or si m i l ardevi ce . ” I d. In det erm i ni ng w hether a d ev i ce i s d esi g n ed o r red esi g n ed fo r u se as a w eap o n , th e cri t i cal i n q u i ry i s: w h e th e rth e d e v ic e , a s d e s ig n e d , h a s a n y v a lu e o th e rth a n a s aw e ap o n . I n thi s i nqui ry , the pr e s e nc e of de s i gn f e a tur e s tha te l i m i na t e a ny cl ai m ed ent ert ai nm entor other beni gn val ue supp ort s afi nd i ng that the devi ce w as desi gn ed as a w eapo n. O n the other hand, evi dence tha tdoe s notuna m bi guous l y s uppor tthe i nf e r e nc e tha tthe e xpl os i ve de vi c e ha s no l e gi t i m a t e s oc i a l va l ue orus e doe s nots uppor taf i ndi ng th a t th e d e v ic e w a s d e s ig n e d a s aw e ap o n . H a m m o n d , 3 7 1 F .3 d a t 7 8 1 . D e s ig n f e a tu r e s th a t c o u ld s u p p o r t af in d in g th a t a de vi c e w a s de s i gne d a s aw e apon i nc l ude obj e c t s tha tc oul d a c ta s s hr apne l upon expl osi on , i nj uri ng tho se i n the vi ci ni ty, and the expu l si on of proj ec t i l es . Id. at 780- 81. B ec ause a r ea sonabl e f

ac t -f i nd ercoul d con cl ud e thatthe evi dence es t abl i shed beyond a r ea sonabl e dou btthatB ea cherkn ow i ng l y posse ss ed anBe acher’s re quest for oral argument is denied. 1 5 unr e gi s t e r e d de s truc t i ve de vi c e w hi l e know i ng of i t s de s truc t i ve c ha r a c t e r i s t i c s , the e vi de nc e w a s s uf

f i c i e nt . A ge ntC a m pbe l l t e s t i f i e d a ttr i a l tha te nc a s i ng the sp ark l ers i n P V P p i p e, as B each er h ad d o n e, d i d n o th i n g t o en h an ce th e l o u d n o i se prod uced by the expl osi on and i nst ea d cre at ed pl as t i c s hrapnel . H e a l so t es t i fi ed th a t th e s p a rk le r s B e a c h e ru s e d c o n ta in e d s ix te e n to e ig h te e n g r a in s , c o m p a r e d to the s t a nda r d c ons um e rs pa rkl e r , w hi c h c ont a i ns onl y tw o. A ddi t i ona l l y , he t e s t i f i e d tha tthe pl a s t i c s hr apne l f r om the bom bs c oul d i nj ur e ape r s on s t a ndi ng nearby and i nfl i ctprop erty dam age. F i nal l y, C am pb el l t es t i fi ed thatthe w rapp ed s p a rk le r s p la c e d in th e P V P p ip e “a s af r a g m e n tin g s le e v e . . . w o u ld d e f in ite ly have no soci al , i nd ustri al or com m er ci al val ue. ” B ea cherre fe rr ed t o the devi ce as api pe bom b a nd t ol d one of the a ge nt s tha ti tne e de d t o be s e tof f i n a n a l l e y , f

or s a f e ty r e a s o n s . I n l i g h to f

th i s s u f f i c i e n tt e s t i mo n y , w e a f

f i rm. AF F I RME D. 1