Moosani v. State

866 S.W.2d 736, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 3065, 1993 WL 471329
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 18, 1993
DocketC14-92-00975-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 866 S.W.2d 736 (Moosani v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Moosani v. State, 866 S.W.2d 736, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 3065, 1993 WL 471329 (Tex. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

ROBERT E. MORSE, Jr., Former Justice

(Sitting by Designation).

This is an appeal of a bench trial conviction for unlawfully carrying a weapon. Appellant Moosani complains that the evidence was insufficient, that the trial court misconstrued the law, and that the special judge did not have jurisdiction to hear the case. We affirm.

Detective Alonso Craft observed Moosani failing to signal a turn at an intersection. Craft followed Moosani into the parking lot of Moosani’s place of business, an RCS Food Store. Moosani opened the door to his car, and Craft could see in plain view a revolver in a door panel compartment. Craft seized the pistol and arrested him for the unauthorized carrying of a weapon.

At trial, Moosani testified that he carried the pistol between his home and place of business because he frequently carried large sums of money. He said that the store had been robbed in the past. On the day of his arrest, Moosani had taken the gun from his home, driven directly from home to work, and would have taken the gun inside the store had not the gun been seized. He averred that, although he carried the gun almost every workday, he carried it only to and from work. He did not otherwise have the gun in his car. He stated that he was not carrying a large sum of money on the day of his arrest. Moosani’s employer testified that Moosani did not act as a security guard, but that Moosani did carry large sums of money as part of his duties as night manager. Detective Craft testified that there was gang activity in the part of town where the store was located.

In point of error one, Moosani complains that the evidence was factually insufficient. He argues that he had the burden to prove an exception to the § 46.02 prohibition against carrying a weapon. Therefore, he contends, we must perform a factual sufficiency analysis on that issue. We find that a factual sufficiency analysis is inappropriate.

We can inquire into the factual sufficiency of evidence when examining whether an appellant proved his affirmative defense or other fact issue where the law has designated that the defendant has the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence. Mukes v. State, 828 S.W.2d 571, 573 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1992, no pet.), citing Meraz v. State, 785 S.W.2d 146,154-55 (Tex *738 .Crim.App.1990). In such event, we consider all the evidence relevant to the issue and reverse only if the judgment is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence so as to be manifestly unjust. Id. In all other instances, we must follow the standard set forth in Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 318-19, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2788-89, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). Id. at 574.

“A person commits an offense if he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carries on or about his person a handgun, illegal knife, or club.” Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 46.02 (Vernon 1989). There is a statutory exception for a person carrying a weapon on his own premises or premises under his control. Id. § 46.03 (Vernon Supp.1993). Case law has established that a person may carry a pistol from his place of business to his home or from his home to his place of business provided (1) the weapon is not habitually carried between those places, (2) the purpose for carrying the weapon is legitimate, e.g., protection when carrying a large sum of money, (3) the route taken is a practical one, and (4) the journey proceeds without undue delay or unnecessary or unreasonable deviation. Pettit v. State, 627 S.W.2d 453, 455 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1981, no pet.).

An exception to § 46.02 is a “defense” not an “affirmative defense.” Seth S. Searcy III & James R. Patterson, Practice Commentary, TexPenal Code Ann. § 46.03 (Vernon 1989). While a defendant has the burden to raise a defensive issue, once raised, the State must disprove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.; see also Johnson v. State, 571 S.W.2d 170, 173 n. 4 (Tex.Crim.App.1978). Here, the State has the burden to prove the elements of Moosani’s offense and disprove his defensive theory beyond a reasonable doubt. The Meraz standard is inapplicable. We overrule point one.

In point two, Moosani contends that the evidence was legally insufficient. He means to say that the evidence fails the Jackson standard of sufficiency. In point three, he maintains that the trial court misinterpreted the statutory and constitutional law applicable to his case.

In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict. Flournoy v. State, 668 S.W.2d 380, 383 (Tex.Crim.App.1984). We then ask whether any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson, supra.

There was evidence that Moosani was carrying a weapon, that he carried the gun to and from work almost every workday, and that he was not carrying a large sum of money at the time of his arrest.

Cortemeglia v. State, 505 S.W.2d 296 (Tex.Crim.App.1974) is controlling. In Cortemeglia, the defendant testified that he only carried a gun from his business to his home on Friday evenings and then back to his place of business on Monday mornings because he carried large sums of money at these times. Id. at 296-97. At the time of arrest, Cortemeglia was carrying some $14,000 in cash and checks; nevertheless, the Court determined that the carrying of the gun was habitual and upheld the conviction for unlawfully carrying a weapon. Id. at 297. In the present case, Moosani carried a gun to work almost every workday, not just twice a week as in Cortemeglia.

Moosani points out that the Cortemeglia Court did not expressly consider a citizen’s right under the Texas Constitution to bear arms in the lawful defense of himself. But, in Deuschle v. State, 109 Tex.Crim. 355, 4 S.W.2d 559 (1927), the Court did recognize that a citizen’s right to carry a pistol was “incident of [his] constitutional right to own, possess, and bear arms.” Id. at 560. Even so, the Court held:

That one may carry a pistol from a place where same is legitimately had to another like place for some legitimate purpose seems uniformly held; but this does not mean that such person may so carry such a weapon idly, or merely for the sake of carrying it, or habitually, or for some unlawful purpose.

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Bluebook (online)
866 S.W.2d 736, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 3065, 1993 WL 471329, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moosani-v-state-texapp-1993.