AMENDMENT 578
Section 2K2.1(a) is amended in subdivision (4) by striking "the defendant" after "20, if"; in subdivision (4)(A) by inserting "the defendant" before "had one"; in subdivision (4)(B) by striking "is a prohibited person, and"; and in subdivision (4)(B) by inserting "; and the defendant (i) is a prohibited person; or (ii) is convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 922(d)" after "§ 921(a)(30)".
Section 2K2.1(a)(6) is amended by inserting "(A)" after "defendant"; and by inserting "; or (B) is convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 922(d)" after "person".
The Commentary to §2K2.1 captioned "Application Notes" is amended in Note 6 by striking "or" before "(vi)"; and by inserting "; or (vii) has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(33)" after "§ 922(d)(8)".
The Commentary to §2K2.1 captioned "Application Notes" is amended in Note 12 in the first paragraph by striking "924(j) or (k), or 26 U.S.C. § 5861(g) or (h)" and inserting "924 (l) or (m)"; and in the second paragraph by striking "only" after "if the"; and by inserting "or 26 U.S.C. § 5861(g) or (h)" after "922(k)".
Reason for Amendment: This amendment has three purposes: (1) to change the definition of "prohibited person" in the firearms guideline so that it includes a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; (2) to provide the same base offense levels for both a prohibited person and a person who is convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 922(d) of transferring a firearm to a prohibited person; and (3) to make several technical and conforming changes to the firearms guideline.
The first part of the amendment amends Application Note 6 of §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition; Prohibited Transactions Involving Firearms or Ammunition) to include a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence within the scope of "prohibited person" for purposes of that guideline. It also defines "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" by reference to the new statutory definition of that term in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a).
This part of the amendment addresses section 658 of the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act, Pub. L. 104–208, 110 Stat. 3009 (1996) (contained in the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1997). Section 658 amended 18 U.S.C. § 922(d) to prohibit the sale of a firearm or ammunition to a person who has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. It also amended 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) to prohibit a person who has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from transporting or receiving a firearm or ammunition. Section 922(s)(3)(B)(i), which lists the information a person not licensed under 18 U.S.C. § 923 must include in a statement to the handgun importer, manufacturer, or dealer, was amended to require certification that the person to whom the gun is transferred was not convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Section 658 also amended 18 U.S.C. § 921(a) to define "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence".
Violations of 18 U.S.C. § 922(d) and (g) are covered by §2K2.1. The new provisions at § 922(d) (sale of a firearm to a "prohibited person") and § 922(g) (transporting, possession, and receipt of a firearm by a "prohibited person") affect Application Note 6 of §2K2.1, which defines "prohibited person". This part of the amendment conforms Application Note 6 of §2K2.1 to the new statutory provisions.
The second part of this amendment increases the base offense level for a defendant who is convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 922(d), which prohibits the transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person. Specifically, this part amends the two alternative base offense levels that pertain to prohibited persons in the firearms guideline in order to make those offense levels applicable to the person who transfers the firearm to the prohibited person. A person who is convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 922(d) has been shown beyond a reasonable doubt either to have known, or to have had reasonable cause to believe, that the transferee was a prohibited person.
The third part of this amendment makes two technical and conforming changes in Application Note 12 of §2K2.1. First, the amendment corrects statutory references to 18 U.S.C. § 924(j) and (k), which were added as a result of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Pub. L. 103–322, 108 Stat. 1796 (1994). In the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104–294, 110 Stat. 3488 (1996), Congress again amended 18 U.S.C. § 924 and redesignated the provisions as subsections (l) and (m). The amendment conforms Application Note 12 to that redesignation. Second, the amendment corrects the misplacement of the reference to 26 U.S.C. § 5861(g) and (h).
Effective Date: The effective date of this amendment is November 1, 1998.