H. B. 4746


(By Delegates Amores, Beane, Hunt and Howard)


[Introduced February 23, 2006; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.]






A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §61-1-10, relating to persons who have been convicted of a felony involving the use or threatened use of a firearm; requiring persons who have been convicted of a felony involving the use or threatened use of a firearm to report to sheriff when visiting a county courthouse; and providing criminal penalty for violation.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §61-1-10, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. CRIMES AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT.
§61-1-10. Persons convicted of a felony involving the use or threatened use of a firearm required to report to sheriff when entering county courthouse.

(a) Upon arriving at the county courthouse and before proceeding to any other area in the courthouse, any person who has been convicted of a felony which involved the use or threatened use of a firearm, either in this state or another state, is required to report directly to the sheriff's office and inform the sheriff or the sheriff's designated employee that the individual has been convicted of a felony which involved the use or threatened use of a firearm and describe the purpose of the individual's visit to the courthouse.
(b) In a county where the sheriff does not have an office in the county courthouse, any person who has been convicted of a felony which involved the use or threatened use of a firearm, either in this state or another state, before entering the courthouse, is required to report to the sheriff's office and inform the sheriff or a designated employee that the individual has been convicted of a felony which involved the use or threatened use of a firearm and describe the purpose of the individual's visit to the courthouse.
(c) A person who violates any provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to
require persons who have been convicted of a felony involving the use or threatened use of a firearm to report to sheriff when visiting a county courthouse.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.