Armstrong v. Commonwealth

Applying Code § 18.2-308.2, a panel of this Court in Jones v. Commonwealth, 16 Va.App. 354, 429 S.E.2d 615 (1993), noted that “[t]he legislature has assigned various meanings to the term ‘firearm’ in [different] sections of Title 18.2,” id. at 356, 429 S.E.2d at 615-16, and concluded that “whether the term ‘firearm’ when used in a statute without being defined is to be given its traditional meaning or a more expansive meaning depends upon the purpose and policy underlying the particular statute.” Id. at 357, 429 S.E.2d at 616. Based upon a review of the various statutes, the decision further…