
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
H. B. 2869
(By Delegate Stemple)
(Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary)
[February 5, 2002]
A BILL to amend and reenact sections one, three, four and ten,
article three-e, chapter sixty-one of
the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended;
and to further amend said article three-e by adding thereto
two new sections, designated sections three-a and three-b, all
relating to explosives and other dangerous materials;
providing definitions for weapon of mass destruction, toxin
and biological agent; establishing criminal penalties for
possession of a weapon of mass destruction, biological agent
or toxin; establishing criminal penalties for permitting the
use of explosives and other dangerous materials; establishing
criminal penalties for certain persons to possess or use
destructive device, explosive material, weapon of mass destruction, toxin, biological agent or incendiary device; and
establishing criminal penalty for wanton endangerment by fire,
weapon of mass destruction, biological agent or toxin.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That sections one, three, four and ten, article three-e,
chapter sixty-one
of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that
said article three-e be further amended by adding thereto two new
sections, designated sections three-a and three-b, all to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 3E. OFFENSES INVOLVING EXPLOSIVES.
§61-3E-1. Definitions.

As used in this article, unless the context otherwise
requires:

(a) "Biological agent" means any microorganism, virus,
infectious substance, or biological product that may be engineered
as a result of biotechnology, or any naturally occurring or
bioengineered component of any microorganism, virus, infectious
substance, or biological product, capable of causing: (1) Death,
disease or other biological malfunction in a human, an animal, a
plant or another living organism; (2) deterioration of food, water,
equipment, supplies or material of any kind; or (3) deleterious alteration of the environment.


(a) (b) "Destructive device" means any bomb, grenade, mine,
rocket, missile, pipebomb or similar device containing an
explosive, incendiary, explosive gas or expanding gas which is
designed or so constructed as to explode by such filler and is
capable of causing bodily harm or property damage; any combination
of parts, either designed or intended for use in converting any
device into a destructive device and from which a destructive
device may be readily assembled.

"Destructive device" does not include a firearm as such is
defined in section two, article seven of this chapter or model
rockets and their components as defined in section twenty-three,
article three, chapter twenty-nine of this code.


(b) (c) "Explosive material" means any chemical compound,
mechanical mixture or device that is commonly used or can be used
for the purpose of producing an explosion and which contains any
oxidizing and combustive units or other ingredients in such
proportions, quantities or packaging that an ignition by fire, by
friction, by concussion, by percussion, by detonator or by any part
of the compound or mixture may cause a sudden generation of highly
heated gases. These materials include, but are not limited to,
powders for blasting, high or low explosives, blasting materials, blasting agents, blasting emulsions, blasting fuses other than
electric circuit breakers, detonators, blasting caps and other
detonating agents and black or smokeless powders not manufactured
or used for lawful sporting purposes or fireworks defined in
section twenty-three, article three, chapter twenty-nine of this
code which are not used in violation of this article. Also
included are all explosive materials listed annually by the office
of the state fire marshal and published in the state register, said
publication being hereby mandated.


(c) (d) "Hoax bomb" means any device or object that by its
design, construction, content or characteristics appears to be, or
is represented to be or to contain a destructive device, explosive
material or incendiary device as defined in this section, but is,
in fact, an inoperative facsimile or imitation of such a
destructive device, explosive material or incendiary device.


(d) (e) "Incendiary device" means a container containing
gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, or derivative thereof, or other
flammable or combustible material, having a wick or other substance
or device which, if set or ignited, is capable of igniting such
gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, or derivative thereof, or other
flammable or combustible material: Provided, That no similar
device commercially manufactured and used solely for the purpose of illumination shall be deemed considered to be an incendiary device.


(e) (f) "Legal authority" means that right as expressly stated
by statute or law.


(f) (g) "Person" shall mean an individual, corporation,
company, association, firm, partnership, society or joint stock
company.


(g) (h) "Storage magazine" is defined to mean any building or
structure, other than an explosives manufacturing building,
approved by the legal authority for the storage of explosive
materials.

(i) "Toxin" means the toxic material of plants, animals,
microorganisms, viruses, fungi or infectious substances, or a
recombinant molecule, whatever its origin or method of production,
including, but not limited to: (1) Any poisonous substance or
biological product that may be engineered as a result of
biotechnology produced by a living organism; or (2) any poisonous
isomer or biological product, homolog or derivative of such a
substance.

(j) "Weapon of mass destruction" means: (1) Any destructive
device as defined in Section 921 of Title 18 of the United States
Code; (2) any weapon designed or intended to cause death or serious
bodily injury or disease through the release, dissemination or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors; (3) any
weapon involving a disease organism; (4) any weapon that is
designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous
to human life; or (5) any weapon containing a biological agent or
toxin.
§61-3E-3. Illegal possession of destructive devices, explosive 
materials, weapon of mass destruction, biological
agent, toxin or incendiary devices; penalty.

Any person who possesses or manufactures any explosive
material without first obtaining a permit to use explosives from
the office of the state fire marshal or who possesses or
manufacturers any destructive device, weapon of mass destruction,
or and device utilizing a biological agent, toxin or incendiary
device material shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be committed to a state correctional facility
confined in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor
more than ten years or fined not more than five thousand dollars,
or both fined and imprisoned
.
§61-3E-3a. Illegal permitting of blasting, destructive devices,
explosive materials or incendiary devices; penalty.

Any person who permits any use of a destructive device or
incendiary device, or the use of an explosive material
without a valid permit from the office of the state fire marshal, is guilty
of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in a
state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than ten
years or fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both fined
and imprisoned
.
§61-3E-3b. Persons prohibited from possessing and manufacturing
biological agent, destructive device, toxin,
explosive material, or incendiary device.

Persons prohibited from possessing firearms as provided in
section seven, article seven of this chapter may not possess or
manufacture any explosive material, destructive devices, weapon of
mass destruction, or incendiary device.

Any person who violates the provisions of this section is
guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined
in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more
than three years or fined not more than one thousand dollars, or
both fined and imprisoned
.
§61-3E-4. Criminal use of destructive device, explosive material,
weapon of mass destruction, toxin, biological agent,
toxin or incendiary device; penalty.

Any person who unlawfully and intentionally damages the
property of another or attempts to damage the property of another by the use of a destructive device, explosive material, weapon of
mass destruction, biological agent, toxin or incendiary device
shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be
committed to the custody of the division of corrections confined in
a state correctional facility for not less than two nor more than
ten years, or fined not more than ten thousand dollars, or both
fined and imprisoned
.
§61-3E-10. Wanton endangerment involving destructive devices,
explosive materials, weapon of mass destruction,
biological agent, toxin, or by fire, or incendiary
devices; penalty.

Any person who wantonly performs any act with a destructive
device, explosive material, weapon of mass destruction, biological
agent, toxin, or by fire or incendiary device which creates
substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another shall
be is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be
committed to the custody of the division of corrections confined in
a state correctional facility for not less than two years nor more
than ten years or fined not more than ten thousand dollars, or both
fined and imprisoned.