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Page Number: 357

524US2

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312

CARON v. UNITED STATES

Opinion of the Court

It ruled Massachusetts law did not forbid petitioner’s pos-
941 F.
session of ﬁrearms because he could possess riﬂes.
Supp. 238, 251–254 (Mass. 1996). Though Massachusetts
restricted petitioner’s right to carry a handgun, the Dis-
trict Court considered the restriction irrelevant because
his case involved riﬂes and shotguns. See ibid. The First
Circuit reversed, counting the convictions because peti-
tioner remained subject to signiﬁcant ﬁrearms restrictions.
We granted certiorari.

522 U. S. 1038 (1998).

II

A federal statute forbids possession of ﬁrearms by those
convicted of serious offenses. An abbreviated version of the
statute is as follows:

“It shall be unlawful for any person—
“(1) who has been convicted in any court of, a crime
punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one
year;
.

.
“to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce,
or possess in or affecting commerce, any ﬁrearm or am-
munition; or to receive any ﬁrearm or ammunition which
has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign
commerce.”

18 U. S. C. § 922(g).

.

.

.

Three-time violent felons who violate § 922(g) face
imprisonment.
enhanced sentences of at least 15 years’
“Violent felony” is deﬁned to include burglary
§ 924(e)(1).
and other crimes creating a serious risk of physical injury.
§ 924(e)(2)(B)(ii). This term includes petitioner’s previous
offenses discussed above.

Not all violent felony convictions, however, count for pur-
poses of § 922(g) or § 924(e). Until 1986, federal law alone
determined whether a state conviction counted, regard-
less of whether the State had expunged the conviction.