SmartBrief
Confirm favorite deletion?
Criminal Law Keyed to Ohlin
Staples v. United States
Citation:
511 U.S. 600 (1994)ProfessorScott Caron
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
Facts
Local police were executing a search warrant at Staples’ home when they discovered an AR-15 rifle, a civilian version of the military’s M-16 rifle. Unless modified, the AR-15 is a semiautomatic weapon while the M-16 is a selective fire rifle that allows the operator, by rotating a selector switch, to choose semiautomatic or automatic fire. Staples’ rifle, however, had been modified to be capable of fully automatic fire.
Staples was charged with unlawful possession of an unregistered machinegun in violation of § 5861(d) of the National Firearms Act. At trial, it was undisputed that the rifle was not registered as required by § 5861(d). However, Staples testified that the rifle never fired automatically when it was in his possession and he was unaware that it was modified. He argued that his ignorance of any automatic firing capability should have shielded him from criminal liability for his failure to register the weapon. The District Court rejected this, and told the jury that Staples did not need to know that he was dealing with a rifle possessing every characteristic that subjects it to regulation, but rather it “would be enough to prove he knows that he is dealing with a dangerous device of a type as would alert one to the likelihood of regulation.”
Staples was convicted and sentenced to five years’ probation and a $5,000 fine.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.
Topic Resources
Topic Outline
Elements of a CrimeTopic Refresher Course
Elements of a Crime: Mens Rea