What Is Assault With A Weapon?

Assault with a deadly weapon is defined as causing serious bodily harm to another person while using excessive force with a deadly weapon. This assault definition is generally considered a felony in all states regardless of the degree of harm. What defines a “deadly weapon”? Usually, this phrase is defined as an object that can inflict mortal harm to an individual and is easily or readily reproduced.

The degrees of assault, and/or battery, vary from state to state based on how much harm the deadly weapon caused in the crime. For instance, if it were the main cause of injury for the victim, the assault charge could be upgraded to aggravated assault, while threatening to use a weapon without causing serious injury may be downgraded to a simple assault charge. Intent to use a deadly weapon in a violent confrontation could also be charged as attempted murder.

The US government once had a ban on assault weapons. The 1994 assault weapons ban was ushered by the Democratic party to demonstrate that they were “tough on crime”. Times are different now, and although the bill no longer exists as it was later seen as an infringement of our amendment rights, there are still very legal consequences for armed assault that one should be aware of.

Assault weapon crimes in the US have been a contentious point of debate for years now. The ethics of a possible federal weapons ban has been discussed back and forth, on and off for quite some time, but regardless of any politics, it’s important to understand the legal charges associated with weapons law so that you can protect your rights and be well represented by the law. 

Consulting with a lawyer is the best legal way to ensure your rights are protected. If you are facing criminal charges, a knowledgeable crime attorney can fight against these charges and offer you expert legal counsel and defense strategy.

Call our defense lawyers at Anderson & Ackerman for a free initial case review and evaluation. Get the justice you deserve.

What Are The Legal Consequences Of Assault With A Weapon?

There’s many consequences to assault with a weapon that varies by state. 

In Pennsylvania, to be charged with a simple assault, it must be proved that the defendant either intentionally and recklessly attempted to harm someone with the weapon, negligently caused bodily harm to someone else, used physical menace or intimidation on someone else with significant injuries, or injured a law enforcement officer or jail officer while getting arrested.

Simple assault is considered a second degree misdemeanor in PA, unless both the victim and defendant mutually agreed to engage in the conflict, i.e. a confrontation, and in this case it would only be a third degree misdemeanor that punishes up to one year in prison and fines. In the event that the defendant is an adult and the victim was a minor or child under the age of 12, then it is upgraded to first degree and punishes up to five years in prison with fines.

For aggravated assault, the prosecution will need to prove that the defendant caused extreme bodily harm with indifference to human life using a deadly weapon, intentionally harmed or caused abuse to a teacher or member of a school, threatened or used menace on a member of law enforcement or corrections officer, or used a deadly weapon on law enforcement.

The charges for such are felony in the first or second degree. Aggravated attack against a police officer or firefighter, for instance, would immediately be considered a first degree felony.

There are ways to defend yourself from such charges, such as refuting the intent, refuting if there was significant enough bodily harm, arguing self-defense, claiming insanity, claiming involuntary toxication, refuting hostility or menacing behavior, or any provocation into the conflict could be sufficient arguments to lower the severity of the charges or potentially drop them altogether. 

Your criminal defense lawyer can help you develop a legal defense strategy to defend yourself against the prosecution’s charges and seek the justice you deserve.

Assault With A Deadly Weapon Penalty

In Pennsylvania, the following objects fall under the category of deadly weapon:

• Explosives and pyro-weapons
• Fully-automatic weapons
• Suppressed (silenced) weapons
• Short-barreled shotguns
• Tasers and stun guns
• Noxious gas
• Handheld blunt weapons (brass knuckles or blackjacks)
• Objects with “no commonful purpose” such as a machete, a sword, shuriken, etc.

While possession for some of these objects is legal, the use of them to intentionally put in danger or to attack a member of law enforcement or a teacher with aggressive weaponry would be grounds for deadly assault.

The penalty for assault with a deadly weapon includes felony charges in the first and second degree. Felony charges can affect a person for their entire life, preventing them from purchasing firearms ever again in certain states, as well as becoming an obstacle for future employment or education. 

Felony charges will affect your ability to procure certain licenses and even obtain loans, and you can be jailed for five years and longer. A judge may also order fines or that you compensate the victim for their injuries or psychological trauma.

Personal Safety and Prevention

When faced with a potentially life-threatening situation, the law exists to prioritize personal safety and prevent aggravated or deadly conflicts from arising to begin with. 

Vigilance and keeping track of one’s surroundings, taking self-defense courses and martial arts, practical skills training, therapeutic solutions for anger and violence, and maintaining open-lines of communication are all ways in which one can de-escalate a situation and take proactive measures against a dangerous situation. 

Promoting self-defense can go a long way in protecting someone and making sure conflicts, especially ones regarding the federal and state definition of “deadly weapon”, can be avoided. Largely, this is why all Americans are given this right to access weapons which can be used to defend themselves and hope to use the threat of violence to deter violence in the future.

At our law offices, we aim to make sure that everyone is aware of their rights, and how to defend themselves in a dangerous situation, and what to do when charged with weaponized assault when only adhering to self-defense. In these situations, it is best to contact a lawyer with experience defending clients in these fields of the law.

Need Legal Help? Contact A Criminal Lawyer

If you are battling charges of aggravated assault and assault with a deadly weapon, contact one of our lawyers at Anderson & Ackerman Law Group. Our defense team has handled countless cases involving armed aggression and weaponized violence, and we hold a proven track record for pre-trial motions and in-trial verdicts.

Call us or schedule a consultation for a free review of your case and find a lawyer who will fight for your behalf.