Dumfries Gun Lawyer
Gun charges are serious offenses that should be met with the same type of seriousness. Anytime a gun is either involved in a crime or even just present at the time the crime has been committed, it ratchets up the danger level for both the citizens and law enforcement personnel who might be involved, and therefore, these charges are prosecuted vigorously by Prince William County prosecutors who handle Dumfries related cases.
If you have been charged with an offense that is gun related, it is important to contact an experienced lawyer. A Dumfries gun lawyer may be able to provide you with the legal representation you deserve.
Most Common Gun or Firearm Offenses in Dumfries
The most common offense involves concealment of a weapon. In Virginia, a person has to have a concealed carry permit in order to carry a concealed weapon. If a person doesn’t have one and they are carrying a weapon that is concealed, that person can be charged with that crime.
Some of the other common offenses include brandishing a firearm and reckless handling of a firearm; those are also treated very seriously for obvious reasons because it puts people at direct risk and other common ones involve convicted felons or those who have lost the right to possess any firearm whether it be concealed or not, and their possession of a firearm or an attempt to purchase a firearm occur quite often in Dumfries as well.
Hunting in Dumfries
The majority of Dumfries area is quite rural and it is abutting the tributary of the Potomac River so there is a waterfront area where people do hunt waterfowl as well as land-based hunting for deer and turkeys and other things. There is ample hunting in the Dumfries area.
Transporting a Firearm through Dumfries
A person is allowed to possess a weapon while going to and from hunting grounds, but they have to be mindful of the laws concerning concealed weapons in Virginia. It is always the best bet to have any weapon that a person intends to use to go hunting secured in an area of the vehicle in which they are traveling that is not immediately accessible to them.
An obvious selection would be a trunk; if a person is driving a vehicle that has a trunk. If it is an SUV, or some other open-air type vehicle where there is not a blocked off area in the rear of that vehicle to secure items, it would be best served by having that weapon in a case and all the way in the back of the vehicle so that a person couldn’t immediately turn around and grab it in case they wanted to use it.
There are not any specific local ordinances that are unique to Dumfries that are any different from the laws in Virginia, so one should be mindful of being aware of the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia in handling any firearms in Dumfries.
Mitigating Gun Charges
Every case is different and every defendant is different. There have been cases where people misunderstood what the laws were and possessed the ammunition or the gun for reasons that were not of any concern to anyone, like hunting or target shooting.
For those folks, it is a lot easier to mitigate than if the law enforcement officer who stops them believes that they were about to attempt to commit some kind of crime or possessing the ammunition for reasons that could potentially lead to trouble.
The nature of the crime and the nature of the intent of the person who is charged are always mitigating factors. If the reasons are good and lawful but for their exclusion to legally possess a weapon, those charges often can be mitigated to something less severe than the felony that it would originate as.
Possibility of Expungement or Record-Sealing
Expungement is a process by which a person has the records of an arrest removed from law enforcement databases if they are found to be not guilty. If a person is found not guilty on the merits of the case, they could petition the circuit court of the jurisdiction where they were charged to have the arrest records removed.
It is possible to get a record removed or expunged, but a person must either have the charges dropped outright by the government or be found not guilty by the court. If there is some kind of plea agreement for a lesser charge or some other deal struck where the court acknowledges that the facts are sufficient for a finding of guilt but instead opted to walk away without a conviction, those circumstances do not make expungement possible. If an individual is interested in pursuing expungement, they should consult a Dumfries gun lawyer to learn more about whether expungement is an option for them.
Importance of Hiring a Dumfries Gun Lawyer
A gun charge is a serious and tricky situation to deal with. It is possible to handle these kinds of cases on your own, but the likelihood of you being successful is very low. An experienced attorney may know what the prosecution will be focusing on, as well as what the judge might find important. By knowing these things, you will be much more prepared then you would have been on your own. Contact a Dumfries gun lawyer may be able to help you build a strong defense.
