H. B. 2869

         (By Delegates Frich, Butler, Householder, Barill,

               R. Phillips, R. Smith, Walters and Hunt)

         [Introduced March 8, 2013; referred to the

         Committee on the Judiciary.]

A BILL to amend and reenact §61-7-11a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to possessing deadly weapons on premises housing courts of law and in offices of family court judges.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That §61-7-11a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 7. DANGEROUS WEAPONS.

§61-7-11a. Possessing deadly weapons on premises of educational facilities; reports by school principals; suspension of driver license; possessing deadly weapons on premises housing courts of law and in offices of family law master court judges; exceptions.

    (a) The Legislature hereby finds that the safety and welfare of the citizens of this state are inextricably dependent upon assurances of safety for children attending, and the persons employed by, schools in this state and for those persons employed with the judicial department of this state. It is for the purpose of providing such assurances of safety, therefore, that subsections (b), (g) and (h) of this section are enacted as a reasonable regulation of the manner in which citizens may exercise those rights accorded to them pursuant to section twenty-two, article three of the Constitution of the State of West Virginia.

    (b) (1) It shall be is unlawful for any person to possess any firearm or any other deadly weapon on any school bus as defined in section one, article one, chapter seventeen-a of this code, or in or on any public or private primary or secondary education building, structure, facility or grounds thereof, including any vocational education building, structure, facility or grounds thereof where secondary vocational education programs are conducted or at any school-sponsored function.

    (2) This subsection shall does not apply to:

    (A) A law-enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity;

    (B) A person specifically authorized by the board of education of the county or principal of the school where the property is located to conduct programs with valid educational purposes;

    (C) A person who, as otherwise permitted by the provisions of this article, possesses an unloaded firearm or deadly weapon in a motor vehicle, or leaves an unloaded firearm or deadly weapon in a locked motor vehicle;

    (D) Programs or raffles conducted with the approval of the county board of education or school which include the display of unloaded firearms; or

    (E) The official mascot of West Virginia University, commonly known as "The Mountaineer", acting in his or her official capacity.

    (3) Any person violating this subsection shall be is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary a correctional facility of this state for a definite term of years of not less than two years nor more than ten years, or fined not more than $5,000, or both.

    (c) It shall be is the duty of the principal of each school subject to the authority of the State Board of Education to report any violation of subsection (b) of this section discovered by such the principal to the State Superintendent of Schools within seventy-two hours after such the violation occurs. The State Board of Education shall keep and maintain such the reports and may prescribe rules establishing policy and procedures for the making and delivery of the same as required by this subsection. In addition, it shall be is the duty of the principal of each school subject to the authority of the State Board of Education to report any violation of subsection (b) of this section discovered by such the principal to the appropriate local office of the Division of Public Safety within seventy-two hours after such the violation occurs.

    (d) In addition to the methods of disposition provided by article five, chapter forty-nine of this code, any court which adjudicates a person who is fourteen years of age or older as delinquent for a violation of subsection (b) of this section may, in its discretion, order the Division of Motor Vehicles to suspend any driver's license or instruction permit issued to such the person for such the period of time as the court may deem appropriate, such the suspension, however, not to extend beyond such the person's nineteenth birthday; or, where such the person has not been issued a driver's license or instruction permit by this state, order the Division of Motor Vehicles to deny such the person's application for the same for such period of time as the court may deem appropriate, such the denial, however, not to extend beyond such the person's nineteenth birthday. Any suspension ordered by the court pursuant to this subsection shall be is effective upon the date of entry of such the order. Where the court orders the suspension of a driver's license or instruction permit pursuant to this subsection, the court shall confiscate any driver's license or instruction permit in the adjudicated person's possession and forward the same to the Division of Motor Vehicles.

    (e) (1) If a person eighteen years of age or older is convicted of violating subsection (b) of this section, and if such the person does not act to appeal such the conviction within the time periods described in subdivision (2) of this subsection, such the person's license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state shall be revoked in accordance with the provisions of this section.

    (2) The clerk of the court in which the person is convicted as described in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall forward to the commissioner a transcript of the judgment of conviction. If the conviction is the judgment of a magistrate court, the magistrate court clerk shall forward such the transcript when the person convicted has not requested an appeal within twenty days of the sentencing for such the conviction. If the conviction is the judgment of a circuit court, the circuit clerk shall forward such the transcript when the person convicted has not filed a notice of intent to file a petition for appeal or writ of error within thirty days after the judgment was entered.

    (3) If, upon examination of the transcript of the judgment of conviction, the commissioner shall determine determines that the person was convicted as described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, the commissioner shall make and enter an order revoking such the person's license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state for a period of one year, or, in the event the person is a student enrolled in a secondary school, for a period of one year or until the person's twentieth birthday, whichever is the greater period. The order shall contain the reasons for the revocation and the revocation period. The order of suspension shall advise the person that because of the receipt of the court's transcript, a presumption exists that the person named in the order of suspension is the same person named in the transcript. The commissioner may grant an administrative hearing which substantially complies with the requirements of the provisions of section two, article five-a, chapter seventeen-c of this code upon a preliminary showing that a possibility exists that the person named in the notice of conviction is not the same person whose license is being suspended. Such The request for hearing shall be made within ten days after receipt of a copy of the order of suspension. The sole purpose of this hearing shall be is for the person requesting the hearing to present evidence that he or she is not the person named in the notice. In the event the commissioner grants an administrative hearing, the commissioner shall stay the license suspension pending the commissioner's order resulting from the hearing.

    (4) For the purposes of this subsection, a person is convicted when such the person enters a plea of guilty or is found guilty by a court or jury.

    (f) (1) It shall be is unlawful for any parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s) of a person less than eighteen years of age who knows that said the person is in violation of subsection (b) of this section, or who has reasonable cause to believe that said the person's violation of said the subsection is imminent, to fail to immediately report such the knowledge or belief to the appropriate school or law-enforcement officials.

    (2) Any person violating this subsection shall be is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000, or shall be confined in jail not more than one year, or both.

    (g) (1) It shall be is unlawful for any person to possess any firearm or any other deadly weapon on any premises which houses a court of law or in the offices of a family law master court judge.

    (2) This subsection shall not apply to:

    (A) A law-enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity; and

    (B) A person exempted from the provisions of this subsection by order of record entered by a court with jurisdiction over such premises or offices; and

    (C) Justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, circuit court judges, family court judges and magistrates.

    (3) Any person violating this subsection shall be is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000, or shall be confined in jail not more than one year, or both.

    (h) (1) It shall be is unlawful for any person to possess any firearm or any other deadly weapon on any premises which houses a court of law or in the offices of a family law master court judge with the intent to commit a crime.

    (2) Any person violating this subsection shall be is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary a correctional facility of this state for a definite term of years of not less than two years nor more than ten years, or fined not more than $5,000, or both.

    (i) Nothing in this section may be construed to be in conflict with the provisions of federal law.

    NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for judges and magistrates of West Virginia Courts to carry concealed firearms in court buildings and offices of family court judges.

    Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.