Sillasse Bryan v. United States (524 U.S. 184)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 15, 1998 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 524 U.S. 184 · 118 S. Ct. 1939
- Decided
- June 15, 1998
- Term
- October Term 1997
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority author
- Justice Stevens
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court. Petitioner was convicted of “willfully” dealing in firearms without a federal license. The question presented is whether the term “willfully” in 18 U. S. C. § 924(a)(1)(D) requires proof that the defendant knew that his conduct was unlawful, or whether it also requires proof that he knew of the federal licensing requirement. I In-1968 Congress enacted the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act. 82 Stat. 197-239. In Title IV of that Act Congress made findings concerning the impact of the traffic in firearms on the prevalence of lawlessness and violent crime in the United States and amended the Criminal Code to include detailed provisions regulating the use and sale of firearms. As amended, 18 U. S. C. §922 defined a number of “unlawful acts”; subsection (a)(1) made it unlawful for any person except a licensed dealer to engage in the business of dealing in firearms. Section 928 established the federal licensing program and repeated the prohibition against dealing in firearms without a license, and § 924 specified the penalties for violating “any provision of this chapter.” Read literally, § 924 authorized the imposition of a fine of up to $5,000 or a prison sentence of not more than five years, “or both,” on any person who dealt in firearms without a license even if that person believed that he or she was acting lawfully.…
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