Source: https://wilsonlg.com/criminal/blog/when-bb-gun-not-gun
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 02:15:06+00:00

Document:
Mr. Haywood’s attorney argued that not only is a BB gun not a firearm under Minn. Stat. § 609.165 (2014) subd. 1(b), but that the statute did not provide adequate notice to those whose convictions made it illegal for them to possess a BB gun. State v. Haywood, No. A14-1792, 2016 WL 6127735, at *1 (Minn. Oct. 19, 2016). This argument failed at the District Court level and following a Jury Trial, Mr. Haywood was found guilty of violating the law and sentenced to 60 months, 5 years, in prison. Mr. Haywood appealed his conviction and the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the decision of the District Court (see State v. Haywood, 869 N.W.2d 902, 908 (Minn. Ct. App. 2015), review granted (Dec. 15, 2015), rev'd, No. A14-1792, 2016 WL 6127735 (Minn. Oct. 19, 2016)). Mr. Haywood appealed again and the Minnesota Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s decision and held that a BB gun is not a firearm for purposes of the statute.
The Supreme Court began by pointing out that the term “firearm” is not defined in either Minn. Stat. § 609.165 or in the definition section of the criminal code. State v. Haywood, No. A14-1792, 2016 WL 6127735, *2 (Minn. Oct. 19, 2016). The Court then accounted that it would look to the plain meaning of the word. Id at *4. Universally, the definition of “firearm” includes an element of “explosive force” used to discharge a propellant. Based on the common definition of the word, the Court held that because the word firearm means, a gun that uses explosive force, a BB gun that uses only compressed air could not be categorized as a firearm. Id. Because he was not in possession of a firearm, Mr. Haywood did not violate the statute.
In a case decided less than a month after Haywood, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, in State v. Lue Yang, No. A15-2061, 2016 WL 6670680 (Minn. Ct. App. Nov. 14, 2016), reversed the conviction of a man found to have violated Minn. Stat. § 624.713 subd. 1 (2), which like the statute in Haywood criminalizes the possession of a firearm by an individual who has previously been convicted of a crime of violence. In Yang, the Court expanded the ruling in Haywood and stated that the definition and analysis in Haywood should be applied to § 624.713 subd. 1 (2). The Court again found that a BB gun is not a firearm for purposes of Minnesota Law.
In any criminal case, it is vitally important to understand what the charges are, and to understand the statute’s meaning and definitions. If you or someone you know is charged with an offense relating to a firearm, contact Wilson Law Group for your free consultation.

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