Muscarello v. United States
United States Supreme Court
524 U.S. 125 (1998)
Relevant factsFree
Muscarello (defendant) was convicted under a federal law criminalizing "us[ing] or carr[ying] a firearm" while trafficking drugs, based on a firearm found in his vehicle's locked glove compartment during a drug trafficking crime; the court of appeals affirmed, and Muscarello argued "carries a firearm" applied only to carrying a firearm on one's person, not in a vehicle. The Supreme Court granted certiorari, consolidating a similar case.
IssueFree
Whether the statutory phrase "carries a firearm" is necessarily limited to the possession of a firearm on the defendant's person and not also applicable to possession of a firearm in a vehicle.