Gun crimes have never been more front-and-center in the United States than they are right now. With Parkland and Santa Fe, there is an understandable amount of fear and apprehension. And that could soon start leading to more arrests for weapons violations.
One recent case at De Soto High School found 17-year-old student Isaiah Manuel Joe Reyes facing felony gun charges for carrying a handgun in a prohibited place (the school itself). Even though gun laws in Texas are looser than in other states throughout the US, settings clearly may still trigger criminal charges.
Gun Crimes Sans Violence
You don’t have to commit an act of violence with a firearm to lose your Second Amendment privileges. Any type of felony conviction can make owning and carrying a firearm a crime, so the first thing you need to do to avoid this situation is to keep your nose clean in other matters of the law.
You should know the law as it relates to prohibited weapons and prohibited places. If you’re in a club, school, or other location where carrying is strictly prohibited, then knowingly violating that law can place you on shaky legal ground.
Other off-limits weapons can include zip guns, brass knuckles, switchblade knives, or explosive devices. A felony conviction for one of these — even without doing any damage to property or another human being — can prohibit you from future gun ownership.
Beyond this, other crimes that may have nothing to do with a weapon — fraud, conspiracy, domestic violence, larceny — can put you on “the list.”
A Texas Problem
One of the most difficult things to accept in Texas, where we value our individual rights and independence, is the fact you can lose a constitutional right you’re born with simply because you forgot a weapon was in your bag in a prohibited location.
That’s not quite a uniquely Texas problem, but it can certainly happen here where ownership is so popular and prevalent. When fighting weapons violations, it’s important you have a skilled attorney with experience fighting to preserve those Second Amendment rights and privileges.
John Teakell has worked for more than two decades to defend the accused on a number of criminal charges. He has experience devising effective legal strategies for gun-related offenses. If you need assistance in this or any other area of criminal defense, consider dropping by his Dallas office or contacting him online today.
