Baumiller v. Sessions
Baumiller v. Sessions
Opinion of the Court
Before the court are cross-motions for summary judgment filed by plaintiff Jacob Baumiller ("Baumiller") (ECF No. 15) and defendants, the attorney general of the United States and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ("ATF") (together, the "government") (ECF No. 21). This case involves an as-applied challenge to the constitutionality of
I. BACKGROUND & PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Baumiller is a legal resident of Pennsylvania (ECF No. 32). He is not prohibited by Pennsylvania state law from possessing a firearm. He has not been convicted of domestic violence or the subject of a restraining order, is not an unlawful drug user, has not been adjudicated a mental defective and was not dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces. The government contends that Baumiller's conduct since 2010 is not fully law-abiding because he attempted to purchase firearms, knowing that he was prohibited from doing so.
The following facts are recited essentially verbatim from the parties' joint stipulation (ECF No. 32). In the fall of 2008, Baumiller learned that there were two gas-operated saws located in a structure in a driveway at 300 Ridge Road, Washington, Pennsylvania. (ECF No. 24-1 at 39:24-40:18; 41:11-16; 42:16-25; ECF No. 24-2 at 1). Baumiller drove to 300 Ridge Road, with the intention of stealing those two gas-operated saws - a chain saw and a chop saw. (ECF No. 24-1 at 41:21-24 ("I drove there to take the saws and that was about it."); ECF No. 24-2 at 1). When Baumiller arrived, he entered the property that did not belong to him; stole two saws from the unlocked structure; took the saws back home; and retained them in his own shed. (ECF No. 24-1 at 39:24-40:2; 41:1-3; 41:11-24; 43:6-7; 43:13-17).
The stolen saws belonged to an individual named Michael Hodak ("Hodak"). (Id. at 40:1-4). In or around May 2009, Hodak confronted Baumiller regarding the theft of Hodak's saws. (Id. at 45:25-46:6; ECF No. 24-2 at 3). When confronted by Hodak, Baumiller admitted that he had taken Hodak's two saws. (ECF No. 24-1 at 46:5-6). Hodak requested that Baumiller return the stolen saws, and Baumiller complied. (Id. at 46:12-14).
At some time thereafter, but prior to August 31, 2009, Pennsylvania State Trooper Thomas Schuster interviewed Baumiller at his place of employment, Goodyear Auto Service, in McMurray, Pennsylvania. (ECF No. 24-1 at 44:1-45:8; ECF No. 24-2 at 4). During the interview, Baumiller admitted that he had stolen the chain saw and chop saw from Hodak. (ECF No. 24-1 at 44:1-45:8).
*228On or about August 31, 2009, Baumiller was charged in the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County, at Docket Number CP-63-CR-0002254-2009, with Theft by Unlawful Taking - Movable Property, 18 Pa. Const. Stat. § 3921(a); Receiving Stolen Property, 18 Pa. Const. Stat. § 3925(a); and Criminal Mischief - Damage Property, 18 Pa. Const. Stat. § 3304(a)(5). (ECF No. 17-1 at 9-10; ECF No. 24-3). On or about February 23, 2010, Baumiller pleaded guilty to a violation of 18 Pa. Const. Stat. § 3921(a) for committing theft by unlawful taking, a first-degree misdemeanor. The receipt of stolen property and criminal mischief charges were withdrawn. (Id. ; ECF No. 24-1 at 49:13-50:1).
The maximum possible sentence for a violation of 18 Pa. Const. Stat. § 3921(a) is a term of incarceration of five years. (ECF No. 24-1 at 49:16-19). Baumiller received a sentence of twelve months of probation and an order to pay restitution in the amount of the value of the stolen saws, $ 1,900, as well as a fine in the amount of $ 1,205.05. (Id. at 49:20-50:1; ECF No. 17-1 at 9-10; ECF No. 24-3).
When Baumiller was around the age of 18 or 19, he purchased two Mossberg 500 firearms. (ECF No. 24-1 at 15:8-19). After being convicted of violating 18 Pa. Const. Stat. § 3921(a) in 2010, Baumiller was informed that he was no longer allowed to possess those firearms, and he sold them to his brother. (Id. at 15:20-16:8). On multiple occasions after Baumiller was convicted of the violation of 18 Pa. Const. Stat. § 3921(a), he attempted to purchase one or more firearms; each attempt was unsuccessful. (Id. at 19:16-22:20). Specifically, in or around the fall of 2016, years after Baumiller had been convicted of violating 18 Pa. Const. Stat. § 3921(a), he attempted to purchase one or more firearms. (Id. at 24:15-23). Baumiller was denied the ability to purchase a firearm on each occasion. (Id. at 22:15-23:9).
II. STANDARD FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
Summary judgment is appropriate where the moving party establishes "that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact" and judgment is appropriate "as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A dispute is "genuine" if there is a sufficient evidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to find for the nonmoving party, and "[a] fact is 'material' if, under substantive law of the case, it is outcome determinative." Sovereign Bank v. BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. ,
The moving party initially bears the burden of showing the absence of a genuine dispute of material fact, in which case the burden shifts to the nonmoving party to identify specific facts evidencing a genuine issue for trial. Guidotti v. Legal Helpers Debt Resolution, L.L.C. ,
Typically, "a district court may not make credibility determinations or engage in any weighing of the evidence" in analyzing a motion for summary judgment. Marino v. Indus. Crating Co. ,
III. ANALYSIS
A. THE SECOND AMENDMENT
The Second Amendment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." U.S. CONST. amend. II. This amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm "unconnected with militia service," but that individual right is "not unlimited." District of Columbia v. Heller ,
B. THE FRAMEWORK FOR AS-APPLIED SECOND AMENDMENT CHALLENGES
An as-applied challenge "does not contend that a law is unconstitutional as written but that its application to a particular person under particular circumstances deprived that person of a constitutional right." United States v. Mitchell ,
First, Baumiller "must prove ... that a presumptively lawful regulation burdens his Second Amendment rights. This requires [him] to clear two hurdles: (1) identify the traditional justifications for excluding from Second Amendment protections the class of which he appears to be a member ... and then (2) present facts about himself and his background that distinguish his circumstances from those of persons in the historically barred class." Binderup ,
Second, if Baumiller succeeds at step one, "the burden shifts to the Government to demonstrate that the regulation satisfies ... heightened scrutiny."
1. STEP ONE
(a) PRESUMPTION
Although § 922(g)(1) bars possession of firearms by those convicted of "a crime punishable by imprisonment for term exceeding one year," its prohibition excludes those convicted of a "State offense classified by the laws of the State as a misdemeanor" unless it is punishable by more than two years imprisonment.
(b) TRADITIONAL JUSTIFICATION
"[M]ost scholars of the Second Amendment agree that the right to bear arms was tied to the concept of a virtuous citizenry and that, accordingly, the government could disarm 'unvirtuous citizens.' " Binderup ,
The class of persons who have committed serious crimes (i.e. unvirtuous citizens) "forfeit the right to possess firearms much the way they 'forfeit other civil liberties, including fundamental constitutional rights.' " Id. at 349 (quoting Barton , 633 F.3d at 175 ). Based on his 2010 conviction, Baumiller appears to be a member of this class.
(c) APPLICATION TO PLAINTIFF
Baumiller has a burden to overcome the presumptive lawfulness of § 922(g)(1) by showing that his conviction under
• the statutory maximum penalty of the crime;
*231• whether the crime is a misdemeanor;
• whether use of force is an element of the crime;1
• the sentence actually imposed upon the challenger; and
• whether there is consensus among the states about the seriousness of the offense.
(i) The statutory maximum penalty of the crime
(ii) Whether the crime is a misdemeanor
(iii) Whether use of force is an element of the crime
Use of force is not an element of this crime.
(iv) The sentence actually imposed upon the challenger
Baumiller was sentenced to one year of probation, restitution of $ 1,900, and a fine of $ 1,205.05, which is a minimal sentence.
In Binderup , the court upheld the as-applied challenges to
(v) Whether there is consensus among the states about the seriousness of the offense
The government submitted a fifty-state survey of laws criminalizing theft of property. (ECF No. 24-4). The survey reflected that forty states and the District of Columbia classify Baumiller's conduct (theft of property valued at $ 1,900) as a felony. Of the ten states that do not classify that conduct as a felony, six states, including Pennsylvania, classify it as a misdemeanor and the other four states do not use a felony/misdemeanor system, but punish the conduct by more than two years in prison. Baumiller did not dispute the government's survey.
In Laudenslager v. Sessions , No. 4:17-CV-00330,
The state survey in this case demonstrates a stronger consensus than existed in Laudenslager , and is entirely distinguishable from the survey results in Binderup and Clark . Theft of $ 1,900 in property is criminalized in all states, with the majority
(vi) Summary and Application of the Step One Factors
The Step One factors in this case balance in favor of the government's position. In Baumiller's favor, his 2010 crime was classified as a misdemeanor, involved no *233use of force, and he received a minimal sentence. In addition, Baumiller points out that he voluntarily returned the stolen saws when confronted by Hodak and has been law-abiding since 2010 (a Step Two factor). Weighing against Baumiller at Step One, his crime has a maximum penalty of five years, which is considerably above the one-year limit incorporated into § 922(g)(1) and the two-year misdemeanor exclusion in
In Clark , this court recognized that the plaintiff's prior conviction did not preclude him from possessing a firearm. The distinguishing factor between that decision and Baumiller's situation, as explained above, is that there is no consensus among the states that Clark's prior conviction for carrying a firearm without a license is a serious crime. Clark's conviction is not a crime at all in numerous states, in which no specific credential is required to carry a firearm. Baumiller's conviction, by contrast, is viewed as a serious crime (i.e., a felony) by more than 80% of the states. In Binderup , the court commented: "Were the Challengers unable to show that so many states consider their crimes to be non-serious, it would be difficult for them to carry their burden at step one."
"Not only is the burden on the challenger to rebut the presumptive lawfulness of the exclusion, but the challenger's showing must be strong."
IV. CONCLUSION
In accordance with the foregoing, the government's motion for summary judgment will be granted and Baumiller's motion for summary judgment will be denied.
An appropriate order follows.
ORDER
And now this 7th day of March, 2019, in accordance with the memorandum opinion, the government's motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 21) is GRANTED and Baumiller's motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 15) is DENIED. The clerk shall docket this case closed.
These first three factors - "the elements of the offense, the actual sentence, and the state of the law" - are "objective indications of seriousness ... well within the ambit of judgment exercised daily by judges." Binderup ,
The court in Binderup called Binderup's sentence a "colloquial slap on the wrist." Binderup ,
Eight years after a conviction for carrying a firearm without a license, Suarez was convicted of the state-law misdemeanor of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Using the most conservative methodology, the consensus exceeds 80% because forty states and the District of Columbia classify it as a felony. Setting aside the four states that do not use the felony/misdemeanor system, the consensus is 87%. If those four states, which punish the conduct by a term of imprisonment exceeding two years, are included, the consensus is 88%.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jacob BAUMILLER v. Jefferson B. SESSIONS III, Attorney General of the United States
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published