Court Opinion

ID: 9694293
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 17:35:13.124922+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:19:58.930034
License: Public Domain

Barney, C.J.
(concurring). I agree with the disposition of this case made by the majority of the Court in all aspects except for its treatment of the exception to the charge under the “reckless endangerment” statute, 13 V.S.A. § 1025. The issue argued to this Court was whether or not it was error for the trial court to fail to charge the jury that it could consider the inoperative nature of the gun because of the missing activating bolt. Under State v. Cushman, 133 Vt. 121, 125, 329 A.2d 648 (1974), “an accused can, of course, introduce potentially exculpatory evidence for the jury’s consideration that the firearm was actually a toy and incapable, under any conditions, of inflicting injury”. It seems clear to me that the Legislature intended that the question of whether or not the weapon was loaded was not to be a defense, as State v. Cushman, supra, says. Since the charge was defective on the question of the inoperability of the gun, I would ground the reversal on that point. I would leave State v. Cushman, supra, standing, since I believe it correctly and properly evaluates the legislative intent by which we are bound. State v. Matthews, 131 Vt. 521, 523, 310 A.2d 17 (1973).