Weapons Defense Attorneys in Morris County New Jersey
A set of criminal offenses that are largely handled at the Superior Court level in Morristown involve the possession of a “weapon”. When we say weapons, of course we mean your classic handgun, a shotgun, an assault rifle or knife, but possession of one of these is not all we are talking about. We are also talking about bats, bottles, hammers, pipes, i.e. under the right circumstances anything can be viewed as a weapon depending on what has occurred in your particular case. Certain weapons offenses in New Jersey fall under what is known as the Graves Act. The Graves Act in essence requires any Defendant convicted under one of their enumerated offenses to be sentenced to a term of incarceration and that term must include a period of parole ineligibility. If you have been charged with a weapons offense like unlawful possession of a handgun or possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, the Law Office of Jonathan F. Marshall can help. Our office has over 200 years of combined experience on staff, including over twenty-five years of prior prosecuting experience. We have been defending individuals charged with various offenses like aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a handgun and burglary, in towns like Roxbury Morristown, Dover, Parsippany, Denville and Boonton for over fifteen years. If you would like to set up a free initial consultation with any one of our eight Morris County criminal defense attorneys please contact our Morristown office at 973-309-7050. Now here his a list of some of the most common weapons offenses charged in Morris County NJ.
The more common weapons offenses, however, are those listed below:
- 2C:39-3. Prohibited Weapons & Devices.
- 2C:39-4. Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purposes.
- 2C:39-5. Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, including Possession of a Handgun Without a Permit.
- 2C:39-7. Certain Persons Not to Have A Weapon or Firearm
Typically speaking, these offenses can range anywhere from a second degree offense to a fourth degree offense depending on the severity of the charge that is levied against you. The difference is significant, however, in that the length of jail time associated with these various crimes differs drastically. A second degree offense can lead to a period of incarceration ranging from between 5 and 10 years. A third degree offense can lead to a period of incarceration ranging from between 3 and 5 years. A fourth degree offense too also leads to a period of incarceration for up to 18 months. Needless to say, experienced representation is necessary to minimize your potential for exposure to these significant stretches of incarceration and the potentially crippling fines that are often associated with these various crimes.
In addition to this information and worth mentioning is the fact that weapons charges have the unique quality of being subject to something called the Graves Act and NERA (No Early Release Act). The effect of these various acts is that whatever sentence is actually imposed by the judge, will be the sentence that you will have to serve, as there will be mandatory parole ineligibility terms imposed. To be more explicit, if you have been charged as a certain persons who may not possess a weapon, for possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, possession of a prohibited weapon, or possession of a handgun without a permit the sentence that is imposed by the Judge will not be eligible for parole under New Jersey law for a certain time period.
Experienced Morris County NJ Criminal Defense Attorneys
To this point, you are probably getting a bleak picture of your outlook if you are charged with one of these crimes in Morris County. It is true that these are difficult charges to overcome, this is why it is imperative that you have the best representation that you can afford. At the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, we have over 200 years collective experience defending against criminal charges, including all of these weapons charges listed above. Our team of 8 criminal defense attorneys consists of former prosecutors who are even better situated to help you in your time of need in that they will know exactly how to attack the prosecution’s case against you. So please, if you or someone you love has been charged with a weapons charge in Morris County, do not hesitate to contact us today for a free consultation with an experienced attorney about the particulars of your case.