Philadelphia to Enforce Lost and Stolen Gun Law
Residents who fail to report a lost or stolen gun are subject to prosecution The Lost or Stolen Firearm Law is not new. In fact, it has been on the books for nearly a decade but was never enforced by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. That is now changing and the City of Philadelphia is making a marked effort to get guns off the street. Simply put, if you live in Philadelphia...
Pennsylvania Tightens Gun Laws in Domestic Violence Cases
New law requires firearms surrender to police authorities within 24 hours Pennsylvania law makers recently passed the first anti-domestic violence legislation in more than a decade that deals directly with firearms. The new law will force people convicted of misdemeanor crimes and domestic violence in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to surrender their guns within 24 hours. This dramatically...
Lawmakers Introduce Carers Act Reform Bill to Protect Medical Marijuana Users
Individual states now allowed to set their own policies for state-legal medical-marijuana businesses Federal lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a bipartisan bill that would protect medical marijuana users and their physicians in states which have legalized marijuana. Initially created in 2015, the updated Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States...
New DUI Penalties in Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth gets tough on repeat offenders The new year brings tougher laws and penalties for those with multiple driving under the influence (DUI) convictions in Pennsylvania. Just before the holidays, the Commonwealth joined the majority of states across the U.S. that consider multiple DUIs as felonies and enacted legislation that increases the penalties for repeat DUI offenders and...
New Law Allows for Sealing of Criminal Convictions
Clean Slate erases past mistakes for some nonviolent misdemeanor offenders Effective in 2019, the Clean Slate Limited Access Law will allow individuals with nonviolent misdemeanor convictions to have those records sealed if they’ve stayed out of trouble for ten years and paid all fines. The law does not, however, apply to individuals charged with violent, firearm or sexual...
Choose One: Medical Marijuana or Gun Ownership
Some sick people will have to make a difficult decision: Is taking the medicine they are legally allowed to obtain under state law worth surrendering their constitutional right to keep and bear arms? You can be an alcoholic, addicted to prescription drugs or have been voluntarily committed to a mental institute and still purchase a firearm under federal law. However, if you obtain a medical...
Massachusetts Court Protects Medical Marijuana Use by Employees
A great criminal defense lawyer knows the ins and outs of the legal system, and may be able to spot certain arguments and factors that could mitigate or even negate a potential crime.
Pennsylvania Doctors Now Able to Register to Provide Medical Marijuana Prescriptions
If you are looking at prison time or a criminal penalty, it is extremely important to hire a criminal defense lawyer. The legal system is designed and biased so that representing yourself in a criminal trial and expecting a good result is almost impossible.
Colorado Court Says Alert from Drug Sniffing Dog is No Longer Enough to Search Car
In 2012, the State of Colorado made it legal, both criminally and civilly, for any person 21 years of age or older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use. A recent decision by the Colorado Court of Appeals provides further protection for marijuana users in Colorado. In The People of the State of Colorado v. McKnight, the court addressed the issue of whether or not the...