Opinion ID: 1356075
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The circuit court's jury instruction regarding the offense of prohibited possession of a firearm

Text: The circuit court instructed the jury regarding the offense of prohibited possession of a firearm as follows: . . . In Count Two of the indictment, the defendant, Justin Valentine, is charged with the offense of Prohibited Possession of a Firearm. A person commits the offense of Prohibited Possession of a Firearm if having been previously convicted of committing a felony he intentionally, knowingly or recklessly owns, possesses or controls any firearm. There are three material elements of the offense of prohibited possession of a firearm, each of which the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt. These three elements are one, that on March 22, 1997, Defendant, Justin Valentine, was convicted of committing a felony, and two, that on or about March 22, 1997, in the County of Maui, State of Hawaii, the Defendant owned, possessed or controlled a firearm, and three, that the Defendant did so intentionally, knowingly or recklessly. Valentine objected to this instruction on the ground that it should not have included a reckless state of mind.