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Arlington Gun Penalties

Gun offenses can mean many things in Arlington. There can be a concealed weapons violation, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. There are also felony gun offenses, including use of firearms and commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. There are many different gun offenses that can be present under this gun offense umbrella that the possible penalties are too many to list.

With that said, all offenses are serious and can and often do carry a significant penalty with them upon conviction. In order to mitigate potential penalties for gun offenses you may face in Arlington, it is important to get the help of an experienced Arlington gun lawyer early on in your case.

Prosecutor Treatment

Prosecutors treat gun offenses and every kind of offense in Arlington seriously. Gun offenses are a hot button issue recently with serious gun violence being reported with regularity in the news. Arlington prosecutors, in particular, are extraordinarily protective of not only their citizens, but their police force and they are greatly concerned about violence against them. They view part of their mission as cleaning up guns and getting illegal guns off of their streets to protect their citizens as well as their police force.

Determining reciprocity with other jurisdictions regarding concealed carry or general gun restrictions is a fluid area of the law that is the topic of much debate in Virginia. As of January 2017, there is reciprocity. If a person has a concealed weapons permit from another jurisdiction, it is considered to be valid in Virginia. The person should pay close attention to the current state of the laws in order to avoid additional penalties, because in the future, it is possible that that could change.

Long Term Consequences

Any conviction for a gun offense is going to cause problems down the line, whether it is with potential future employment, professional licensing, or anything else that a person might need to do to improve their life. If a felony gun offense is committed, the person will be forever barred in Virginia from possessing any kind of firearm.

A firearm offense that is felonious in nature will preclude the person from possessing any firearm in the future unless they go through significant and difficult steps to reacquire those rights. The penalties for firearm offenses in Arlington can be extensive.

Consult with an Arlington Gun Attorney Today

People need to remember that charges are just charges and nothing has been proven yet. Even though a person is going against an aggressive prosecution, most judges are favorable to the government. It is exactly for that reason why the person needs an aggressive lawyer to fight for their rights against their penalties.

Just because an individual is charged with something does not mean they are guilty of it. An aggressive lawyer might be able to find a hole in their case or problems with the chain of custody, searches, or the procurement of any statements from the defendant.

There could be a million different things wrong with their case. Only an aggressive lawyer who is going to dig deep into the facts and laws running the person’s charge is going to be able to find out if there is anything that can prevent them from making their case.

The first thing that an attorney will say to someone when investigating their case in order to mitigate the gun penalties they face in Arlington is that there is no need for a person to try to explain themselves to the police or to the detective charging them with this crime. Often, they make the decision as to whether or not the person is to be charged without any input from the person. If they are seeking or get statements from that person, often that statement is going give them more information.

A person has a Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and they should use it to avoid other increased penalties from what they have said. A person facing penalties at the start of their case should hire an attorney as soon as possible.

Often in these kinds of cases, there is a tremendous amount of work that needs to go into it to get discovery in time and to investigate if that is necessary. Having a skilled gun attorney on the person’s side is critical and having someone with enough time to do the work that is needed is just as critical.