In U.S. v. Archer, No. 07-11488 (June 27, 2008), the Court, on remand from the United States Supreme Court for reconsideration in light of Begay v. U.S., held that the Florida offense of carrying a concealed weapon is not a "crime of violence" and therefore is not a predicate felony to trigger "career offender" classification under the Sentencing Guidelines.
Applying the analytical framework required by Begay, the Court addressed whether carrying a concealed weapon is similar in kind and degree to the crimes enumerated as examples of "crimes of violence" in the Guidelines. The Court found that unlike burglary of a dwelling, arson and the use of explosives, which are all aggressive, violent acts aimed at other persons, carrying a concealed weapon is a "passive crime centering around possession, rather than around any overt action." Further, the offense requires no "intent to conceal the weapon," eliminating the purposeful element of the enumerated offense examples. The Court recognized that Begay abrogated prior contrary Eleventh Circuit precedent.
