United States v. One 6.5 Mm. Mannlicher-Carcano Military Rifle

250 F. Supp. 410, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9729
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedFebruary 23, 1966
DocketCiv. A. 3-1171
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 250 F. Supp. 410 (United States v. One 6.5 Mm. Mannlicher-Carcano Military Rifle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. One 6.5 Mm. Mannlicher-Carcano Military Rifle, 250 F. Supp. 410, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9729 (N.D. Tex. 1966).

Opinion

ESTES, Chief Judge.

The United States of America brings this proceeding for forfeiture of respondent military rifle and revolver to the government because these weapons were involved in violations of the Federal Firearms Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 901-909. Claimant, John J. King, denies the right of the government to forfeiture and claims title to the weapons by purchase from Marina N. Oswald, individually and as community administratrix of the estate of Lee Harvey Oswald. It is stipulated for the purpose of this action only that respondent rifle was used by Lee Harvey Oswald in *412 the assassination of President Kennedy and the pistol was used by Lee Harvey Oswald in killing a Dallas police officer. The case was heard on the “Stipulation of Facts” appended hereto, briefs and oral argument.

Title 15, United States Code, § 903(d), enacted June 30, 1938, provides:

“Licensed dealers shall maintain such permanent records of * * * shipment, and * * * disposal of firearms * * * as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe.” (* * ch. 850, § 3, 52 Stat. 1251.)

Section 905(a) provides:

“Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter or any rules and regulations promulgated hereunder * * * shall, upon conviction thereof, be * * '* [guilty of a felony offense].”

Section 905(b), enacted February 7, 1950, provides:

“Any firearm * * * involved in any violation of the provisions of this chapter or any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture * * (June 30, 1938, ch. 850, § 5, 52 Stat. 1252; Feb. 7, 1950, ch. 2, 64 Stat. 3.)

Section 907 authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to carry out the provisions of the Federal Firearms Act.

26 Code of Federal Regulations, § 177.51 Firearms Records, provides:

“Each licensed * * * dealer shall maintain complete and adequate records. * * * The records will show and include: * * * (c) The disposition made of each firearm including the name and address of the person to whom sold. * * * ”

This means, of course, the name by which the purchaser could be identified, not a fictitious name which would not disclose but would conceal his identity.

The names A. Hidell and A. J. Hidell were purely fictitious names willfully, intentionally, deliberately and fraudulently contrived by Lee Harvey Oswald for the purpose of deceiving the dealers and concealing Oswald’s identity as purchaser of respondent rifle and revolver.

“ * * * Regulations issued by the Secretary of the Treasury, pursuant to statutory authority, and when [as here] necessary to make a statute effective * * * [have] the force of law.” United States v. Fisher (5 Cir. 1965), 353 F.2d 396, 398-99, citing Fawcus Machine Co. v. United States, 282 U.S. 375, 51 S.Ct. 144, 75 L.Ed. 397; Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. South Texas Lumber Co., 333 U.S. 496, 501, 68 S.Ct. 695, 92 L.Ed. 831.

In the history of the Federal Firearms Act [enacted June 30, 1938, 15 U.S.C. §§ 901-909, which did not include § 905(b), enacted February 7, 1950], Senate Report No. 82, 75th Congress, states:

“The bill under consideration * * * is designed to regulate * * the shipment through interstate commerce of all firearms [and] * * * will go far in the direction we are seeking and will eliminate the gun from the crooks’ hands.”

In the history of 15 U.S.C. § 905(b), which provides for seizure and forfeiture for any violation of the Federal Firearms Act “or any rules or regulations * * * thereunder,” Senate Report No. 1207 (January 6, 1950), U.S.Code Cong. Service 1950, p. 1907, shows that the purpose of this legislation is to give express authority to law enforcement officials “for the seizure, forfeiture, and disposition of firearms * * * involved in violations of the Federal Firearms Act. (U.S.C., title 15, secs. 901-909).”

To constitute a crime, there must be the joint operation of two essential elements, an act forbidden by law and an intent to do the act, or there must be the omission of a duty required by the law and the intent to omit that duty.

In determining a defendant’s intention, the law assumes that every per *413 son intends the natural consequences of his voluntary acts or omissions. Therefore, the intent required to be proven as an element of the crime is inferred from the defendant’s voluntary commission of the act forbidden by law, or from his omission of the duty required by law, and it is not necessary to establish that the defendant knew that his act or omission was a violation of the law.

Section 2 of Title 18, U.S.C., provides:

“(a) Whoever commits an offense against the United States or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal.
“(b) Whoever willfully causes an act to be done which if directly performed by him or another would be an offense against the United States, is punishable as a principal.”

An actor who commits an offense can be the “real though unconscious agent” whose conviction is not a prerequisite to conviction of the one who causes the offense to be committed. United States v. Giles (1937), 300 U.S. 41, 48, 57 S.Ct. 340, 81 L.Ed. 493; Walker v. United States (10 Cir., 1951), 192 F.2d 47.

Lee Harvey Oswald violated and caused to be violated the Federal Firearms Act, 15 U.S.C. § 903(d), and the regulations promulgated thereunder, 26 C.F.R. 177.-51, requiring “[e]ach licensed * * * dealer * * * [to] maintain complete and adequate records * * * [which] show * * * [t]he disposition made of each firearm including the name * * * of the person to whom sold * * * ”, in that Lee Harvey Oswald voluntarily, willfully, intentionally, fraudulently and deliberately caused the fictitious names A. Hidell and A. J.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Wilkinson
686 P.2d 790 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1984)
State v. Crampton
568 P.2d 680 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1977)
State v. Moriarty
235 A.2d 247 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1967)
State of New Jersey v. Moriarity
268 F. Supp. 546 (D. New Jersey, 1967)
John J. King v. United States
364 F.2d 235 (Fifth Circuit, 1966)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
250 F. Supp. 410, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9729, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-one-65-mm-mannlicher-carcano-military-rifle-txnd-1966.