Case Name: Kenneth L. BALDWIN, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2003-09-05
Citations: 857 So. 2d 249
Docket Number: No. 2D01-4777
Parties: Kenneth L. BALDWIN, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: FULMER, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 857
Pages: 249–257

Head Matter:
Kenneth L. BALDWIN, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 2D01-4777.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District.
Sept. 5, 2003.
Rehearing Denied Oct. 14, 2003.
James Marion Moorman, Public Defender, and Frederick W. Vollrath, Special Assistant Public Defender, Bartow, for Appellant.
Charles J. Crist, Jr., Attorney General, Tallahassee, and William I. Munsey, Jr., Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, for Appellee.

Opinion:
KELLY, Judge.
Kenneth L. Baldwin appeals his convictions and sentences for carrying a concealed weapon by a violent career criminal, possession of a firearm by a violent career criminal, driving while license suspended, and leaving the scene of a crash. We reverse Baldwin's conviction for carrying a concealed weapon by a violent career criminal and affirm without comment the other issues Baldwin has raised.
Baldwin's charges stem from an incident in which police found a gun concealed in a bag that Baldwin was carrying. Baldwin argues that his convictions for carrying a concealed weapon by a violent career criminal and possession of a firearm by a violent career criminal based on this single incident violate double jeopardy. We do not agree with Baldwin's contention that this case presents a double jeopardy issue. Nevertheless, we conclude that we must reverse his conviction for carrying a concealed weapon by a violent career criminal because the record demonstrates that the State did not prove the essential ele- merits of that offense. Specifically, the State did not prove that Baldwin possessed a concealed weapon.
Baldwin was charged with two violations of section 790.235, Florida Statutes (1999), which states in pertinent part:
(1)Any person who meets the violent career criminal criteria under s. 775.084(l)(d), regardless of whether such person is or has previously been sentenced as a violent career criminal, who owns or has in his or her care, custody, possession, or control any firearm or electric weapon or device, or carries a concealed weapon, including a tear gas gun or chemical weapon or device, commits a felony of the first degree.
(Emphasis added). Section 790.001, Florida Statutes (1999), defines the terms used in chapter 790. Section 790.001(13) defines a "weapon" as "any dirk, metallic knuckles, slungshot, billie, tear gas gun, chemical weapon or device, or other deadly weapon except a firearm or a common pocketknife." (Emphasis added). Section 790.001(3)(a) defines "concealed weapon" as "any dirk, metallic knuckles, slungshot, billie, tear gas gun, chemical weapon or device, or other deadly weapon carried on or about a person in such a manner as to conceal the weapon from the ordinary sight of another person." (Emphasis added). Section 790.001 also defines "firearm" and "concealed firearm." § 790.001(2), (6). It is undisputed that Baldwin's gun constitutes a "firearm" as that term is defined in chapter 790 and that he was properly convicted for possession of a firearm by a violent career criminal in violation of section 790.235.
It is equally evident Baldwin's gun is not a "weapon" as that term is defined in chapter 790. See § 790.001(13). Because Baldwin's gun is not a "weapon," we conclude that it cannot be a "concealed weapon" either. Among the items listed in the definition of "concealed weapon," the only one that could possibly bring a gun within the ambit of "concealed weapon" is the category of "other deadly weapon." See § 790.001(3)(a). However, as noted above, chapter 790 specifically excludes firearms from the definition of "weapon." If a firearm is not a "weapon," under chapter 790, it cannot be included in the category of "other deadly weapon," and therefore, is not a "concealed weapon" as that term is defined in chapter 790.
Although the definition of "concealed weapon" differs from the definition of "weapon" in that it does not specifically exclude firearms and common pocketknives from the category of "other deadly weapon," we do not believe that the legislature intended for a gun to be a "firearm" when not concealed, but to be both a "weapon" and a "firearm" when concealed. To read the statute in this manner would violate the basic rule of statutory construction that courts should not construe a statute in a manner that leads to an absurd result. See Weber v. Dobbins, 616 So.2d 956, 958 (Fla.1993).
We are also guided by the principle that statutory phrases are to be read in the context of the entire section and they should be '"interpreted to give effect to every clause in it, and to accord meaning and harmony to all of its parts.' " Acosta v. Richter, 671 So.2d 149, 153-54 (Fla.1996) (quoting State ex rel. City of Casselberry v. Mager, 356 So.2d 267, 269 n. 5 (Fla.1978)). Throughout chapter 790, the legislature repeatedly treats firearms and weapons as distinct from one another. Chapter 790 is titled "Weapons and Firearms." In addition to defining "weapon" and "concealed weapon," section 790.001 also defines "firearm" and "concealed firearm." If the legislature had equated a firearm with a concealed weapon a separate definition for "concealed firearm" would have been superfluous. Finally, section 790.01 refers to both concealed weapons and concealed firearms and provides that carrying a concealed weapon is a first-degree misdemeanor while carrying a concealed firearm is a third-degree felony. Thus, both the definitions contained in section 790.001 and the overall statutory scheme of chapter 790 lead to the conclusion that for the purposes of that chapter, a firearm is neither a "weapon" nor a "concealed weapon."
We also find support for our conclusion in this court's decision in State v. Ortiz, 504 So.2d 39 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987). In Ortiz, the defendant was charged with possession of a concealed weapon by a convicted felon in violation of section 790.23, Florida Statutes (1985). The defendant moved to dismiss the charge arguing that the knife he possessed was a common pocketknife and therefore was not a concealed weapon because common pocketknives are excepted from the definition of "weapon" in section 790.001(13). The trial court dismissed the charge. This court reversed, not because a common pocketknife fell within the definition of "concealed weapon," but because it concluded that whether the knife was a common pocketknife was a question of fact that must be resolved by a jury. Id. at 40. See also Walls v. State, 730 So.2d 294 (Fla. 1st DCA 1999) (stating that the definition of "weapon" in section 790.001(13) applies to the charge of carrying a concealed weapon).
Although we have no trouble concluding that given the facts of this case Baldwin could not properly be convicted of possession of a concealed weapon by a violent career criminal, we have found the question of whether we can afford Baldwin any relief to be problematic because Baldwin did not raise this specific issue either in the trial court or on appeal. In Dydek v. State, 400 So.2d 1255 (Fla. 2d DCA 1981), this court rejected the arguments the defendant raised in his appeal from convictions for possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia. It nevertheless reversed the defendant's conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia after it determined that there was no evidence to establish a prima facie case that the defendant possessed paraphernalia. In reversing, this court stated:
[a]n appellate court will always consider a fundamental error that is apparent on the face of the record. Fundamental error has been defined as error which goes to the foundation of the case or to the merits of the cause of-action. We can think of no error more fundamental than the conviction of a defendant in the absence of a prima facie showing of the essential elements of the crime charged.
Id. at 1258 (citations omitted). See also F.B. v. State, 852 So.2d 226, 2003 WL 21555122 (Fla. July 11, 2003). We find this reasoning applicable to this case as well, and accordingly we reverse and remand for the trial court to vacate Baldwin's judgment and sentence for possession of a concealed weapon by a violent career criminal.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
FULMER, J., concurs.
SILBERMAN, J., concurs specially with opinion.
. It is important to note that our decision in this case is governed by the definitions contained in section 790.001, which apply to the provisions of chapter 790. We recognize that in other contexts a firearm may constitute a deadly weapon. For example, "[i]t is well settled that a firearm . is a 'deadly weapon' within the meaning of [section 784.045, Florida Statutes]," the aggravated assault statute. Riggins v. State, 557 So.2d 185, 185 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990).