Opinion ID: 805060
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sentencing Guidelines background.

Text: Before proceeding, we will lay out some background information about the Sentencing Guidelines provisions at issue in this case. Section 2A2.2 of the Guidelines applies when a defendant is convicted of aggravated assault; application of § 2A2.2 results in a base offense level of 14. Under § 2A2.2(b)(2)(B), the defendant’s offense 4 level is further enhanced by four levels if the defendant used a “dangerous weapon” during the assault. The first application note for § 2A2.2 tells us that the term “’[d]angerous weapon’ has the meaning given that term in § 1B1.1, Application Note 1.” U.S.S.G. § 2A2.2, Application Note 1. The same application note also tells us that the meaning of the term dangerous weapon “includes any instrument that is not ordinarily used as a weapon (e.g., a car, a chair, or an ice pick) if such an instrument is involved in the offense with the intent to commit bodily injury.” Id.