Opinion ID: 2051244
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Possession of Deadly Weapon

Text: The State argues that even if Garza could not have been found guilty of the use of a weapon under § 28-1205, he could have been found guilty of the possession of a weapon under § 28-1205, since Garza had constructive possession of the weapons. The State contends that the term possession is defined as including both actual and constructive possession, citing several cases involving the possession of narcotics, including State v. DeGroat, 244 Neb. 764, 508 N.W.2d 861 (1993). Actual possession is synonymous with physical possession. See State v. Foster, 196 Neb. 332, 242 N.W.2d 876 (1976). See, also, Black's Law Dictionary 1163 (6th ed.1990) (stating that actual possession exists where thing is in immediate occupancy and physical control of party). However, constructive possession may be proved by mere ownership, dominion, or control over contraband itself, coupled with the intent to exercise control over the same. State v. Garcia, 216 Neb. 769, 345 N.W.2d 826 (1984). This court has long held that the term possession, as used in the narcotics context, includes both physical (actual) and constructive possession with knowledge of the presence of a drug and of its character as a narcotic. See, e.g., State v. Faircloth, 181 Neb. 333, 148 N.W.2d 187 (1967). However, the fact that this court has interpreted the term possession to include both actual and constructive possession in the narcotics context is of little persuasive value in the instant case, which involves the possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony. It is a fundamental principle of statutory construction that penal statutes are to be strictly construed. State v. Beethe, 249 Neb. 743, 545 N.W.2d 108 (1996). In Boyd v. Travelers Fire Ins. Co., 147 Neb. 237, 22 N.W.2d 700 (1946), we stated that when there is no evidence that the term possession is to be applied in anything other than its ordinary sense, it should be given its ordinary meaning. We stated that [i]n ordinary understanding the term means that a person has possession when he has physical control. (Emphasis supplied.) Id. at 241, 22 N.W.2d at 702. See, also, North Platte State Bank v. Production Credit Assn., 189 Neb. 44, 200 N.W.2d 1 (1972). Likewise, in People v. Garcia, 197 Colo. 550, 595 P.2d 228 (1979), the court noted that the term possession was a common term that should be given its generally accepted meaning as well as the benefit of common-sense understanding. The court stated that the commonsense definition of possession, as used in a statute prohibiting the possession of a firearm while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, is the actual or physical control of a firearm. Id. at 231. The State has failed to indicate why § 28-1205, which does not define the term possession, should be read more broadly than in its ordinary sense. Moreover, to hold that the term possession, as used in § 28-1205, includes constructive possession would be manifestly inconsistent with the purpose of § 28-1205. See State v. Ring, 233 Neb. 720, 447 N.W.2d 908 (1989). In State v. Ring, 233 Neb. at 724, 447 N.W.2d at 911, this court stated that the purposes behind § 28-1205 are to discourage individuals from employing deadly weapons in order to facilitate or effectuate the commission of felonies [the `use' prong] and to discourage persons from carrying deadly weapons while they commit felonies [the `possession' prong]. (Emphasis supplied.) In Mack v. State, 312 A.2d 319 (Del.1973), the Delaware Superior Court addressed whether the term possession, as used in a statute prohibiting the possession of a deadly firearm during the commission of a felony, could be construed to include constructive possession. The court held that the general `dominion, control, and authority' (constructive possession) definitions applied in cases involving the possession of drugs and recently stolen goods was inapplicable. Id. at 322. See, also, Barnett v. State, 691 A.2d 614 (Del.1997) (following Mack v. State, supra ). The court noted that in such cases, the possession of contraband, per se, actual or constructive, is the crux of the matter. However, when it is the possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony that is prohibited, it is the availability of the weapon under certain circumstances, i.e., during the commission of a felony, that is at issue. A penal statute is to be construed in the context of the object sought to be accomplished, the evils and mischiefs sought to be remedied, and the purpose sought to be served. State v. Robbins, 253 Neb. 146, 570 N.W.2d 185 (1997). Interpreting the term possession in § 28-1205 to mean constructive possession, such as possession in one's home while one is committing a felony, does not serve the purpose of § 28-1205. The purpose of § 28-1205 is to prevent the threat of violence and accompanying danger to human life that is present whenever one has a deadly weapon within one's immediate control during the commission of a felony. See State v. Rieger, 26 Wash.App. 321, 613 P.2d 163 (1980) (adopting limited constructive possession standard), reversed in part on other grounds 96 Wash.2d 546, 637 P.2d 236 (1981). Because defining the term possession to include constructive possession would be inconsistent with the plain meaning of possession and the purpose of § 28-1205, we conclude that the term possession, as used in § 28-1205, includes only actual possession. In this context, we define actual possession as including only those weapons on one's person or within one's immediate control, which is the area within which one might immediately gain possession of a weapon. See, Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 89 S.Ct. 2034, 23 L.Ed.2d 685 (1969); New York v. Belton, 453 U.S. 454, 101 S.Ct. 2860, 69 L.Ed.2d 768 (1981) (holding that passenger compartment of vehicle is within occupant's immediate control). As the rationale in Chimel v. California and New York v. Belton indicates, weapons that are not on one's person or within one's immediate control do not present the danger to human life that § 28-1205 seeks to prevent. Thus, for the purpose of determining whether one is in possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony, we adopt the Fourth Amendment test applied in searches incident to an arrest.