amendments to the dangerous weapons act

amendments to the dangerous weapons act Sec. 204. (a) For the purposes of this section, the term “Dangerous Weapons Act” means the Act of July 8, 1932, as amended, providing for the control of dangerous weapons in the District. (b) Section 3 of the Dangerous Weapons Act (D. C. Code, sec. 22–3203) is amended to read as follows: “certain persons forbidden to possess pistols “Sec. 3. No person shall own or keep a pistol, or have a pistol in his possession or under his control, within the District of Columbia, if— “(1) he is a drug addict; “(2) he has been convicted in the District of Columbia or elsewhere of a felony; “(3) he has been convicted of violating the first, section of the Act entitled ‘An Act for the suppression of prostitution in the District of Columbia’, approved August 15, 1935, as amended (D. C. Code, sec. 22–2701), the first section of the Act entitled ‘An Act to confer concurrent jurisdiction on the police court of the District of Columbia in certain cases’, approved July 16, 1912 (keeping bawdy house, D. C. Code, sec. 22–2722), or the Act entitled ‘An Act to define and punish vagrancy in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes’, approved December 17, 1941 (D. C. Code, title 22, chapter 33); or “(4) he is not licensed under section 10 of this Act to sell weapons, and he has been convicted of violating this Act. 67 Stat. 94 No person shall keep a pistol for, or intentionally make a pistol available to, such a person, knowing that he has been so convicted or that he is a drug addict. Whoever violates this section shall be punished as provided in section 15 of this Act, unless the violation occurs after he has been convicted of a violation of this section, in which case he shall be imprisoned for not more than ten years.” (c) Section 4 of the Dangerous Weapons Act (D. C. Code, sec. 22–3204) is amended by striking out everything after “being so concealed” and inserting in lieu thereof a period and the following new sentence: “Whoever violates this section shall be punished as provided in section 15 of this Act, unless the violation occurs after he has been convicted in the District of Columbia of a violation of this section or of a felony, either in the District of Columbia or in another jurisdiction, in which case he shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years.” (d) Section 7 of the Dangerous Weapons Act (D. C. Code, sec. 22–3207) is amended to read as follows: “selling to minors and others “Sec. 7. No person shall within the District of Columbia sell any pistol to a person who he has reasonable cause to believe is not of sound mind, or is forbidden by section 3 of this Act to possess a pistol, or, except when the relation of parent and child or guardian and ward exists, is under the age of twenty-one years.” (e) The second sentence of section 8 of the Dangerous Weapons Act (D. C. Code, sec. 22–3208) is amended by striking out “a statement that he has never been convicted in the District of Columbia or elsewhere of a crime of violence” and inserting in lieu thereof “a statement that he is not forbidden by section 3 of this Act to possess a pistol”. (f) The first sentence of paragraph 3 of section 10 of the Dangerous Weapons Act (D. C. Code, sec. 22–3210) is amended to read as follows: “No pistol shall be sold (a) if the seller has reasonable cause to believe that the purchaser is not of sound mind or is forbidden by section 3 of this Act, to possess a pistol or is under the age of twenty-one years, and (b) unless the purchaser is personally known to the seller or shall present clear evidence of his identity.” (g) The first sentence of paragraph 5 of section 10 of the Dangerous Weapons Act (D. C. Code, sec. 22–3210) is amended by striking out “a statement signed by the purchaser that he has never been convicted in the District of Columbia or elsewhere of a crime of violence” and inserting in lieu thereof “a statement by the purchaser that he is not forbidden by section 3 of this Act to possess a pistol”. (h) Section 14 of the Dangerous Weapons Act (D. C. Code, sec. 22–3214) is amended by inserting “(a)” after “Sec. 14.”; by inserting “switch blade knife,” after “sandbag,”; and by adding at the end thereof the following new subsections: “(b) No person shall within the District of Columbia possess, with intent to use unlawfully against another, an imitation pistol, or a dagger, dirk, razor, stiletto, or knife with a blade longer than three inches, or other dangerous weapon. “(c) Whoever violates this section shall be punished as provided in section 15 of this Act, unless the violation occurs after he has been convicted in the District of Columbia of a violation of this section or of a felony, either in the District of Columbia or in another jurisdiction, in which case he shall be imprisoned for not more than ten years.”