Court Opinion

ID: 9628112
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 09:08:12.568693+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:06:57.757578
License: Public Domain

Gunderson, C. J.,
concurring:
I agree that respondent may not be penalized for the crime with which he was charged. However, I believe our decision might be based on narrower grounds than the constitutional contentions proffered by respondent’s counsel.
Respondent purchased his firearm in Reno. I understand the. prosecution to concede that he did so only after filling out a federal form, on which he forthrightly revealed his status as an alien, and after a waiting period prescribed by local ordinance had expired. In short, when respondent bought the gun, he believed he was acting lawfully, and governmental agencies,' which permitted the purchase, all fostered that belief.