UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE,
v.
LANE DALE DANIELS, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT

9th Cir. | 1970-09-08
No. 25297
431 F.2d 697 United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1970) Positive Treatment
Cited by 22 cases

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Holding

The court held that the statute prohibiting felons from possessing firearms is constitutional under the Commerce Clause and that the government need not prove the firearm affected commerce as an element of the offense.


Facts & Procedural History

Defendant was convicted of violating 18 U.S.C.App. § 1202, which prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms. He appealed his conviction.…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM:

PER CURIAM:

Defendant appeals from his conviction for violating 18 U.S.C.App. § 1202 (convicted felon’s possession of a firearm). He contends that: (1) the statute is unconstitutional, because it purports to reach wholly intrastate transactions, and it is therefore beyond the scope of the Commerce Clause; and (2) the Government failed to prove that the firearm he possessed was in commerce or affected commerce, which is an element of the offense. We reject both contentions.

The numerous cases expanding the Commerce Clause to embrace local activities, when those activities bear even tangentially on interstate commerce defeat defendant’s constitutional argument. E. g., Maryland v. Wirtz (1968) 392 U.S. 183, 88 S.Ct. 2017, 20 L.Ed.2d 1020; Katzenbach v. McClung (1964) 379 U.S. 294, 85 S.Ct. 377, 13 L.Ed.2d 290; Wickard v. Filburn (1942) 317 U.S. 111, 63 S.Ct. 82, 87 L.Ed. 122; United States v. Biancofiori (7th Cir. 1970) 422 F. 2d 584.

We hold that the fact that the firearm was in commerce or affected commerce is not an element of the offense stated in section 1202, adopting the rationale of United States v. Bass (S.D.N.Y.1970) 308 F.Supp. 1385.

The judgment is affirmed.


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