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US · guidelines

U.S.S.G. §2K2.6

Possessing, Purchasing, or Owning Body Armor by Violent Felons

activein force · 2018-11-01 – presentact-effective-date

(a) Base Offense Level: 10

(b) Specific Offense Characteristic

(1) If the defendant used the body armor in connection with another felony offense, increase by 4 levels.

Commentary

Statutory Provision: 18 U.S.C. § 931.

Application Notes:

1. Application of Subsection (b)(1).—

(A) Meaning of “Defendant”.—Consistent with §1B1.3 (Relevant Conduct), the term “defendant”, for purposes of subsection (b)(1), limits the accountability of the defendant to the

defendant’s own conduct and conduct that the defendant aided or abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, procured, or willfully caused.

(B) Meaning of “Felony Offense”.—For purposes of subsection (b)(1), “felony offense”

means any offense (federal, state, or local) punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, regardless of whether a criminal charge was brought, or a conviction obtained.

(C) Meaning of “Used”.—For purposes of subsection (b)(1), “used” means the body armor was

(i) actively employed in a manner to protect the person from gunfire; or (ii) used as a means

of bartering. Subsection (b)(1) does not apply if the body armor was merely possessed. For

example, subsection (b)(1) would not apply if the body armor was found in the trunk of a

car but was not being actively used as protection.

2. Inapplicability of §3B1.5.—If subsection (b)(1) applies, do not apply the adjustment in §3B1.5

(Use of Body Armor in Drug Trafficking Crimes and Crimes of Violence).

3. Grouping of Multiple Counts.—If subsection (b)(1) applies (because the defendant used the

body armor in connection with another felony offense) and the instant offense of conviction includes a count of conviction for that other felony offense, the counts of conviction for the 18 U.S.C.

§ 931 offense and that other felony offense shall be grouped pursuant to subsection (c) of §3D1.2

(Groups of Closely Related Counts).

History

Effective November 1, 2004 (amendment 670).

Provenance

Source
ussc.gov
Retrieved
2026-09-20
Edition
ussg-2018
Content hash
379e6d3ac53fb3ca9e9177a8c729275e53d9a9ae36345ff7feeffa4269a5c7e0
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