H.B. 202

             1     

WEAPONS RESTRICTIONS AMENDMENTS

             2     
2014 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Edward H. Redd

             5     
Senate Sponsor: ____________

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill amends provisions related to the possession, purchase, transfer, and ownership
             10      of a dangerous weapon.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    restricts a person who has been civilly committed to the custody of a local mental
             14      health authority from the possession, purchase, transfer, and ownership of a
             15      dangerous weapon.
             16      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             17          None
             18      Other Special Clauses:
             19          None
             20      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             21      AMENDS:
             22           76-10-503 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 317
             23     
             24      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             25          Section 1. Section 76-10-503 is amended to read:
             26           76-10-503. Restrictions on possession, purchase, transfer, and ownership of
             27      dangerous weapons by certain persons.


             28          (1) For purposes of this section:
             29          (a) A Category I restricted person is a person who:
             30          (i) has been convicted of any violent felony as defined in Section 76-3-203.5 ;
             31          (ii) is on probation or parole for any felony;
             32          (iii) is on parole from a secure facility as defined in Section 62A-7-101 ;
             33          (iv) within the last 10 years has been adjudicated delinquent for an offense which if
             34      committed by an adult would have been a violent felony as defined in Section 76-3-203.5 ; or
             35          (v) is an alien who is illegally or unlawfully in the United States.
             36          (b) A Category II restricted person is a person who:
             37          (i) has been convicted of any felony;
             38          (ii) within the last seven years has been adjudicated delinquent for an offense which if
             39      committed by an adult would have been a felony;
             40          (iii) is an unlawful user of a controlled substance as defined in Section 58-37-2 ;
             41          (iv) is in possession of a dangerous weapon and is knowingly and intentionally in
             42      unlawful possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance as defined in Section 58-37-2 ;
             43          (v) has been found not guilty by reason of insanity for a felony offense;
             44          (vi) has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial for a felony offense;
             45          (vii) has been adjudicated as mentally defective as provided in the Brady Handgun
             46      Violence Prevention Act, Pub. L. No. 103-159, 107 Stat. 1536 (1993), or has been civilly
             47      committed to [a mental institution] the custody of a local mental health authority in accordance
             48      with Title 62A, Chapter 15, Part 6, Utah State Hospital and Other Mental Health Facilities;
             49          (viii) has been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; or
             50          (ix) has renounced his citizenship after having been a citizen of the United States.
             51          (2) A Category I restricted person who intentionally or knowingly agrees, consents,
             52      offers, or arranges to purchase, transfer, possess, use, or have under the person's custody or
             53      control, or who intentionally or knowingly purchases, transfers, possesses, uses, or has under
             54      the person's custody or control:
             55          (a) any firearm is guilty of a second degree felony; or
             56          (b) any dangerous weapon other than a firearm is guilty of a third degree felony.
             57          (3) A Category II restricted person who purchases, transfers, possesses, uses, or has
             58      under the person's custody or control:


             59          (a) any firearm is guilty of a third degree felony; or
             60          (b) any dangerous weapon other than a firearm is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
             61          (4) A person may be subject to the restrictions of both categories at the same time.
             62          (5) If a higher penalty than is prescribed in this section is provided in another section
             63      for one who purchases, transfers, possesses, uses, or has under this custody or control any
             64      dangerous weapon, the penalties of that section control.
             65          (6) It is an affirmative defense to a charge based on the definition in Subsection
             66      (1)(b)(iv) that the person was:
             67          (a) in possession of a controlled substance pursuant to a lawful order of a practitioner
             68      for use of a member of the person's household or for administration to an animal owned by the
             69      person or a member of the person's household; or
             70          (b) otherwise authorized by law to possess the substance.
             71          (7) (a) It is an affirmative defense to transferring a firearm or other dangerous weapon
             72      by a person restricted under Subsection (2) or (3) that the firearm or dangerous weapon:
             73          (i) was possessed by the person or was under the person's custody or control before the
             74      person became a restricted person;
             75          (ii) was not used in or possessed during the commission of a crime or subject to
             76      disposition under Section [ 76-10-525 ] 24-3-103 ;
             77          (iii) is not being held as evidence by a court or law enforcement agency;
             78          (iv) was transferred to a person not legally prohibited from possessing the weapon; and
             79          (v) unless a different time is ordered by the court, was transferred within 10 days of the
             80      person becoming a restricted person.
             81          (b) Subsection (7)(a) is not a defense to the use, purchase, or possession on the person
             82      of a firearm or other dangerous weapon by a restricted person.
             83          (8) (a) A person may not sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of any firearm or
             84      dangerous weapon to any person, knowing that the recipient is a person described in
             85      Subsection (1)(a) or (b).
             86          (b) A person who violates Subsection (8)(a) when the recipient is:
             87          (i) a person described in Subsection (1)(a) and the transaction involves a firearm, is
             88      guilty of a second degree felony;
             89          (ii) a person described in Subsection (1)(a) and the transaction involves any dangerous


             90      weapon other than a firearm, is guilty of a third degree felony;
             91          (iii) a person described in Subsection (1)(b) and the transaction involves a firearm, is
             92      guilty of a third degree felony; or
             93          (iv) a person described in Subsection (1)(b) and the transaction involves any dangerous
             94      weapon other than a firearm, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
             95          (9) (a) A person may not knowingly solicit, persuade, encourage or entice a dealer or
             96      other person to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of a firearm or dangerous weapon under
             97      circumstances which the person knows would be a violation of the law.
             98          (b) A person may not provide to a dealer or other person what the person knows to be
             99      materially false information with intent to deceive the dealer or other person about the legality
             100      of a sale, transfer or other disposition of a firearm or dangerous weapon.
             101          (c) "Materially false information" means information that portrays an illegal transaction
             102      as legal or a legal transaction as illegal.
             103          (d) A person who violates this Subsection (9) is guilty of:
             104          (i) a third degree felony if the transaction involved a firearm; or
             105          (ii) a class A misdemeanor if the transaction involved a dangerous weapon other than a
             106      firearm.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-23-14 4:05 PM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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