State v. Nunez
Decision Date | 06 March 1979 |
Docket Number | No. 78-1066,78-1066 |
Citation | 368 So.2d 422 |
Parties | The STATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Luis Alberto NUNEZ, Appellee. |
Court | Florida District Court of Appeals |
Janet Reno, State's Atty., Paul M. Rashkind and Stephen V. Rosin, Asst. State's Attys., for appellant.
Richard Essen, Miami, Robert A. Spiegel, Coral Gables, for appellee.
Before HAVERFIELD, C. J., and PEARSON and KEHOE, JJ.
The State of Florida appeals an order dismissing an information charging the defendant with carrying a concealed firearm.
Luis Nunez, defendant-appellee, was informed against for carrying a concealed firearm, to-wit: a pistol, in violation of Section 790.01(2), Florida Statutes (1977). 1
Nunez moved to dismiss the information for the reason that a "pistol" is not a "firearm". In support thereof he argued that Section 790.001(6), Florida Statutes (1977) defines the term "firearm" as:
and Section 790.001(5) of the same statute defines "explosive" as:
Since a pistol expels a projectile by means of an explosive and those explosives (such as cartridges or ammunition) which are utilized by a pistol are excluded by the statute from the category of explosives, Nunez concludes a pistol cannot be a firearm. The trial judge dismissed the information on this ground and the State appeals the order of dismissal. We reverse.
Although we are cognizant of the principles of law that criminal statutes should be strictly construed according to the letter thereof in favor of the accused, 2 the primary and overriding consideration in statutory interpretation is that a statute should be construed and applied so as to give effect to the evident intent of the legislature regardless of whether such construction varies from the statute's literal meaning. See Griffis v. State, 356 So.2d 297 (Fla.1978); 9 Fla.Jur. Criminal Law § 19 (1972). In other words, criminal statutes are not to be so strictly construed as to emasculate the statute and defeat the obvious intention of the legislature. State ex rel. Washington v. Rivkind, 350 So.2d 575 (Fla.3d DCA 1977). In addition, statutes must be construed so as to avoid absurd results. Sharon v. State, 156 So.2d 677 (Fla.3d DCA 1963).
The obvious intent of the legislature clearly was to include a pistol within the definition. This intent is evidenced by the enactment of Section 790.001(5), Florida Statutes (1978 Supplement) 3 and manifested in the following preamble to Chapter 78-200, Laws of Florida Chapter 790, Laws of Florida (1977):
Furthermore, to hold that the definition of a "firearm" in Section 790.001(6), Florida Statutes (1977) was dependent upon the word "explosive" as defined in Section...
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Ferre v. State ex rel. Reno
...evident intent of the legislature regardless of whether such construction varies from the statute's literal meaning." State v. Nunez, 368 So.2d 422, 423 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979). Even when strict construction of a statute is appropriate, "such strict construction is subordinate to the rule that t......
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...The statistics on young adults cover only the year 1978. One year is statistically insignificant under Castaneda.6 State v. Nunez, 368 So.2d 422 (Fla.3d DCA 1979); Martin v. State, 367 So.2d 1119 (Fla.1st DCA 1979). See also Harris v. State, 370 So.2d 74 (Fla.2d DCA 1979) (a pistol is a fir......
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...on the second degree murder issue or do not present reversible error. See State v. Carrizales, 356 So.2d 274 (Fla.1978); State v. Nunez, 368 So.2d 422 (Fla.3d DCA 1979). The conviction of second degree murder is reversed and the cause is remanded for the entry of a judgment of conviction of......
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