Would this stop me from buying a firearm(rifle or pistol)

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Crowbird

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So- ill skip all the back story since non of it really matters anyway except to personal opinions. I got a Class A misdemeanor x3 (sexual battery) in Utah. 76-9-702 should be the code for reference. I was curious if I'm still able to buy/own fire arms.

I was found guilty and sentenced to 1yr in jail suspended for only 20 days served in county jail and 3 yrs probation.
 
SFAIK, yeah, you're out of luck. IIRC about the name of the guy who caused this federal law, the problem is the Lautenberg Amendment. It retroactively hit all abuse cases, even misdemeanors, with the prohibition against firearms ownership. It hit numerous people, including cops, who'd had problems ten and twenty years before.
 
This Lutenburg act seems to focus on Domestic violence but i don't think my "crime" counts as domestic violence because its grouped with public urination and lewdness . I am under a Restraining order I guess as im not suposed to have unsupervised contact with any female under 18(family is excluded).
 
76-9-702. Lewdness -- Sexual battery -- Public urination.
(1) A person is guilty of lewdness if the person under circumstances not amounting to rape, object rape, forcible sodomy, forcible sexual abuse, aggravated sexual assault, or an attempt to commit any of these offenses, performs any of the following acts in a public place or under circumstances which the person should know will likely cause affront or alarm to, on, or in the presence of another who is 14 years of age or older:
(a) an act of sexual intercourse or sodomy;
(b) exposes his or her genitals, the female breast below the top of the areola, the buttocks, the ****, or the pubic area;
(c) masturbates; or
(d) any other act of lewdness.
(2) (a) Lewdness is a class B misdemeanor.
(b) Lewdness is a class A misdemeanor if the person is a sex offender as defined in Section 77-27-21.7.
(3) A person is guilty of sexual battery if the person under circumstances not amounting to rape, rape of a child, object rape, object rape of a child, forcible sodomy, sodomy upon a child, forcible sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a child, aggravated sexual abuse of a child, aggravated sexual assault, or an attempt to commit any of these offenses intentionally touches, whether or not through clothing, the ****, buttocks, or any part of the genitals of another person, or the breast of a female, and the actor's conduct is under circumstances the actor knows or should know will likely cause affront or alarm to the person touched.
(4) Sexual battery is a class A misdemeanor.
(5) A person is guilty of public urination if the person urinates or defecates:
(a) in a public place, other than a public rest room; and
(b) under circumstances which the person should know will likely cause affront or alarm to another.
(6) Public urination is a class C misdemeanor.
(7) A woman's breast feeding, including breast feeding in any location where the woman otherwise may rightfully be, does not under any circumstance constitute a lewd or grossly lewd act, irrespective of whether or not the breast is covered during or incidental to feeding.


31A-21-501. Definitions.

For purposes of this part:
(1) "Applicant" means:
(a) in the case of an individual life or accident and health policy, the person who seeks to contract for insurance benefits; or
(b) in the case of a group life or accident and health policy, the proposed certificate holder.
(2) "Cohabitant" means an emancipated individual pursuant to Section 15-2-1 or an individual who is 16 years of age or older who:
(a) is or was a spouse of the other party;
(b) is or was living as if a spouse of the other party;
(c) is related by blood or marriage to the other party;
(d) has one or more children in common with the other party; or
(e) resides or has resided in the same residence as the other party.
(3) "Child abuse" means the commission or attempt to commit against a child a criminal offense described in:
(a) Title 76, Chapter 5, Part 1, Assault and Related Offenses;
(b) Title 76, Chapter 5, Part 4, Sexual Offenses;
(c) Subsections 76-9-702(1) through (4), Lewdness- Sexual battery; or
(d) Section 76-9-702.5, Lewdness Involving a Child.
(4) "Domestic violence" means any criminal offense involving violence or physical harm or threat of violence or physical harm, or any attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit a criminal offense involving violence or physical harm, when committed by one cohabitant against another and includes commission or attempt to commit, any of the following offenses by one cohabitant against another:
(a) aggravated assault, as described in Section 76-5-103;
(b) assault, as described in Section 76-5-102;
(c) criminal homicide, as described in Section 76-5-201;
(d) harassment, as described in Section 76-5-106;
(e) telephone harassment, as described in Section 76-9-201;
(f) kidnaping, child kidnaping, or aggravated kidnaping, as described in Sections 76-5-301, 76-5-301.1, and 76-5-302;
(g) mayhem, as described in Section 76-5-105;
(h) sexual offenses, as described in Title 76, Chapter 5, Part 4, and Title 76, Chapter 5a;
(i) stalking, as described in Section 76-5-106.5;
(j) unlawful detention, as described in Section 76-5-304;
(k) violation of a protective order or ex parte protective order, as described in Section 76-5-108;
(l) any offense against property described in Title 76, Chapter 6, Part 1, 2, or 3;
(m) possession of a deadly weapon with intent to assault, as described in Section 76-10-507; or
(n) discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, near a highway, or in the direction of any person, building, or vehicle, as described in Section 76-10-508.
(5) "Subject of domestic abuse" means an individual who is, has been, may currently be, or may have been subject to domestic violence or child abuse.
 
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Yeah you may be right, Lautenberg may not be involved actually.

You're still likely out of luck since the max penalty was 1 year.


That is a disqualifier.

Question 12C on the Form 4473 asks if you've been convicted of a felony OR of any crime where the judge could have sentenced you to one year or longer, even if you got a reduced sentence.
 
Contact a competent attorney with knowledge and experience in the applicable local, state, and fed firearms laws. Since this is not merely a hypothetical, you need to get real legal advice, from a real lawyer.
 
Question 12C on the Form 4473 asks if you've been convicted of a felony OR of any crime where the judge could have sentenced you to one year or longer, even if you got a reduced sentence.
That's not what 12C on form 4473 says. it say's, " Have you ever been convicted in any court of a crime where the judge could have sentenced you to MORE than one year even if the sentence was reduced".
 
as i said before the back story doesn't matter so please don't judge(had i done something violent or even forceful i would concede the point and not waste anyone's time asking my questions). But to go add a little more to the restraining order comment I posted, its only a term of probation so its lifted when I get off probation. then would I be able to buy a rifle?

and on the 12c Im not sure how id answer it, i assume i would have to say yes as it was 3 counts each of which could be up to a year in jail so it could have been a 3 year sentence correct? or am i wrong
 
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Was 1 year the maximum sentence for your crime? If so, I don't think 12c is a yes for you. That you had three counts that could have been served consecutively doesn't matter. I'm not a lawyer, I'm just offering my opinion.
 
you need to ask a lawyer that knows criminal law. i wouldnt take a no answer from here keep me from my possible rights.
 
You're still likely out of luck since the max penalty was 1 year.


That is a disqualifier.

Actualy federaly they say a max penalty of 2 years or more for a single state misdemeanor counts a felony conviction.

For example DUI in MA is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 2.5 years on a first offense so is federaly a felony charge. Yet in neighboring CT it is only punishable by up to 6 months on the first offense (and 2.5 years the second time) meaning it is federaly not a felony.

So if the state describes what he did as a misdemeanor and each single charge is punishable by less than 2 years then it is not a felony.

Crowbird:
I was found guilty and sentenced to 1yr in jail suspended for only 20 days served in county jail and 3 yrs probation.


Even things like urinating in public is not only a crime, but it is a sex crime, and if caught and charged you would need to register as a sex offender in several states any time you change addresses. I do not know if you live in such a state.
Failure to stay registered would also be a crime.
Clearly a sexual battery is a sex crime, and you are now a sex offender in the appropriate states.

If you are still on probation a standard condition of probation some places is no possession of weapons including firearms. Some places only apply such a condition for certain offenses, other locations give it standard to anyone on probation for any reason.
That alone would put you into the prohibited persons catagory.


Crowbird:
i assume i would have to say yes as it was 3 counts each of which could be up to a year in jail so it could have been a 3 year sentence correct? or am i wrong
For the purpose of firearm ownership that is wrong. That would be three misdemeanor counts each of which are up to a year. So the offenses were less than 1 year possible each, not 3 years.

Being under a restraining order may prohibit you. However if the order is not against a specific person it may not count under the specifics of the law. Temporary and permanent can also change things.
For example I have known individuals in civil cases where both parties have taken out restraining orders (lawyers in a lot of standard litigation encourage restraining orders as standard to gain some leverage) on the other and as far as I know (went shooting at the range with one during that time and they had thier firearms) neither was prohibited from possessing firearms because under the specifics of the law they were not prohibited.
That is a really complicated legal gray area that needs a lawyer with the details of your specific case to explain. Meaning you need to spend thousands of dollars to learn that answer.

Crowbird:
This Lutenburg act seems to focus on Domestic violence but i don't think my "crime" counts as domestic violence because its grouped with public urination and lewdness .

The Lautenburg Amendment would only apply to you if you were dating or cohabiting with the person you "battered".
You could walk outside and punch the first woman you saw and it would not be a Lautenberg offense.
If you were in a relationship and even got into thier face during an argument however (assault is the threat of force, not its use) it can be an assault under Lautenberg and can remove your right to ever own firearms again.

So if you were in a relationship with the battered person then it is covered by Lautenberg.


Federal law is however not the only potential disqualifier. Various states have even lower disqualifiers. For example some states disqualify anyone of any drug offense misdemeanor for life (Ohio.)
In CA a misdemeanor assault or battery would disqualify a person for 10 years. So getting in a fight or even raising your fist at someone is a 10 year prohibition on the RKBA.

We do not know what state you are from.
 
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as i said before the back story doesn't matter so please don't judge(had i done something violent or even forceful i would concede the point and not waste anyone's time asking my questions). But to go add a little more to the restraining order comment I posted, its only a term of probation so its lifted when I get off probation. then would I be able to buy a rifle?
Sorry, I shouldn't judge someone who committed a sex crime and now has a restraining order against minors. My bad.
 
You're still likely out of luck since the max penalty was 1 year.


That is a disqualifier.
WRONG! Up to one year in jail is not a disqualifier. The conviction must exceed ONE YEAR to be a disqualifier. Do a Google search on ATF form 4473 and read 12C.
 
Sorry, I shouldn't judge someone who committed a sex crime and now has a restraining order against minors. My bad.

Yeah, you really shouldn't; especially since it isn't at all germane to the question actually being asked.
 
Quote:
Sorry, I shouldn't judge someone who committed a sex crime and now has a restraining order against minors. My bad.
Yeah, you really shouldn't; especially since it isn't at all germane to the question actually being asked.

The question was actually: Can I still get a gun even though I've been convicted of 3 sex offenses and cannot legally be around any female under 18 under threat of jail.

And we're not to judge? Good luck with that.

Crowbird: I suggest you screw your head on straight and figure out your straight and narrow path in life before wondering if you can own a gun.
 
Heck, why ask us? Just go fill out the form and see if it gets denied. Nothing bad will happen.

And we're not to judge? Good luck with that.

My wife just pointed out that the OP has already been judged.
 
I do not know what this guy did but "sex offenses" covers a lot of area. It was written up in a paper about a guy who had to move from his house because he was a sex offender and lived to close to a school. His crime, he was 17 his girlfriend was 16 she got pregnant. By the way he lives with his wife of 10 years who is now 26 with their 10 yr old dtr. Yeah even though he married the girl in question he is a "sex offender" No I am not that guy nor do I Know him.



Len
 
Respectfully, Jesus said don't judge and he knows more than you.

Llook at the law Crowbird cites:
"(3) A person is guilty of sexual battery if the person under circumstances not amounting to rape, rape of a child, object rape, object rape of a child, forcible sodomy, sodomy upon a child, forcible sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a child, aggravated sexual abuse of a child, aggravated sexual assault, or an attempt to commit any of these offenses intentionally touches, whether or not through clothing, the ****, buttocks, or any part of the genitals of another person, or the breast of a female, and the actor's conduct is under circumstances the actor knows or should know will likely cause affront or alarm to the person touched."

If a gang of 17-year old boys come at you with knives, and you kick one in the groin and run so you don't have to unload into them, you'd be guilty of sexual battery of a child. Probably guilty of abusing each of the little thugs, since they each saw you do it.
 
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I'm not judging him. I really do feel that he ought to fill out the form and try. The absolute worst thing will be that he gets turned down.
 
Really people should back off crowbird it was a misdemeanor for goodness sake some states have idiotic sex laws like a 20 year old with 16 or 17 year old is sexual assault. It was obviously not something that terrible if it was misdemeanor.
 
Crowbird:

Lautenberg was just "enhanced", so the following may not apply, but I don't think you'd be "hit" by that one unless, as somebody said, you were cohabitating with the "victim" at the time. (These should "age out", IMHO, but....)

The enhancement to Lautenberg, which may bite you, is that some states don't put "Domestic" into the titles of crimes that other states do. So, in the interest of uniformity, "Domestic" is assumed if there's a connection with anything remotely resembling DV....

You need to find a lawyer who's experienced in this stuff....

Regards,
 
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