Smith v. United States
United States Supreme Court
508 U.S. 223 (1993)
Relevant factsFree
Smith (defendant) offered to trade his MAC-10 automatic weapon for cocaine to an undercover officer during a planned drug deal, and was convicted of knowingly using a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime under Section 924(c)(1); he appealed, arguing that merely bartering the gun, rather than using it as a weapon, did not fall within the statute's meaning of "use."
IssueFree
Whether, when interpreting a statute, a court may determine the ordinary meaning of an undefined term by reference to dictionary definitions.