Opinion ID: 741833
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Using a Dangerous Weapon

Text: 10 Defendant raises two challenges to the increase of his base offense level for use of a dangerous weapon. He argues that the firewood he threw at the victim should not be treated as a dangerous weapon under U.S.S.G. § 2A2.2(b)(2)(B) because it is not inherently dangerous, and that the increase of his offense level for use of a dangerous weapon in the course of an aggravated assault amounts to impermissible double counting. 11 The Guidelines define dangerous weapon as an instrument capable of inflicting death or serious bodily injury. Where an object that appeared to be a dangerous weapon was brandished, displayed, or possessed, treat the object as a dangerous weapon. U.S.S.G. § 1B1.1, comment. (n.1(d)). Based on this definition, there is no question that a piece of firewood qualifies as a dangerous weapon when it is used to inflict serious bodily injury, as it was in this case. See United States v. Dayea, 32 F.3d 1377, 1379 (9th Cir.1994) ([C]ourts have found that, in the proper circumstances, almost anything can count as a dangerous weapon, including walking sticks, leather straps, rakes, tennis shoes, rubber boots, dogs, rings, concrete curbs, clothes irons, and stink bombs.). 12 Next, defendant argues that even if the firewood qualifies as a dangerous weapon, the district court impermissibly double counted the weapon by relying upon it both to categorize the assault as an aggravated assault and to increase the base offense level. Here, we need not decide whether the Guidelines allow the district court to consider the dangerous weapon in both selecting and increasing the base offense level because the district court did not double count the weapon. 13 The Guidelines assign a fifteen-point base offense level for aggravated assault and a three or six point base offense level for minor assaults. U.S.S.G. §§ 2A2.2, 2A2.3. An aggravated assault is a felonious assault that involves (a) a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm (i.e. not merely to frighten), or (b) serious bodily injury, or (c) an intent to commit another felony. § 2A2.2, comment. (n.1). Here, the assault involved serious bodily injury. Defendant pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and he has not challenged the finding in the presentence report that the victim in fact sustained a serious bodily injury. Thus, the Guidelines required the district court to treat the assault as aggravated, warranting a fifteen-point base offense level. That the assault also involved a dangerous weapon makes little difference because the assault was aggravated even without regard to the dangerous weapon. The district court did not double count the weapon by relying on it to increase defendant's base offense level four points. 3 14 We REVERSE the vulnerable victim enhancement and REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. We AFFIRM on all other grounds.