The first time my son got into some legal trouble, I didn't hire an attorney. I figured that he would just get a slap on the wrist and that he should accept his punishment, and that's what happened. The second time he got into trouble, I had to hire an attorney. I knew that since he had a record, the judge would not be so lenient about his punishment and he could suffer some serious consequences that could haunt him for his entire life. If you have a troubled child, my blog could help you understand the value of hiring an attorney for him or her.
the value of hiring an attorney for your troubled child
Can A DUI Cause You To Lose Your Gun?
Owen Bertrand
If you own a gun, there are strict legal obligations you must meet or you could lose your right to own one. While this usually applies to things that directly relate to your gun, a DUI can also affect your gun rights. Here's what you should know.
A DUI Can Be a Felony
You're probably aware that being convicted of a felony means that you lose the right to own a gun. What you may not know is that some DUI charges can be felonies. While most DUIs are misdemeanors, there are several ways a DUI can be upgraded to a felony including hurting someone or being well over the legal limit. If you're charged with a DUI, it's important to understand what the exact charge is. While you always want to avoid a criminal conviction if you can, a felony is obviously more serious beyond just the possibility of losing your gun. This means that you may want to fight even harder to beat the charge.
How Can You Avoid a Felony DUI?
If you've been charged with a felony DUI, you have a few options to avoid a felony conviction. Remember, it's the conviction, not the charge itself, that means you will lose your gun. The first way is to beat the charge by showing that the police didn't have enough evidence or violated your rights so some evidence has to be thrown out. The second way is to try to make a plea deal to a misdemeanor to take the felony charge off of the table.
Can You Lose Your Gun to a Misdemeanor DUI?
A misdemeanor DUI generally doesn't mean you automatically lose the right to own a gun like a felony DUI. However, it can still affect your gun rights. The first thing that could cause you to lose your gun is if you had it on you while you were intoxicated. This is a separate charge from the DUI itself but it is still part of the DUI arrest. To beat it, you'd need to show you weren't drunk or the police shouldn't have stopped you. The second way a misdemeanor could cause you to lose your gun is if you're placed on probation. The judge may put restrictions on your gun rights for the duration of your probation.
To learn more about whether a DUI can affect your right to own a gun, contact a DUI lawyer today.
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