State v. Reed

The State convicted Jimmy Reed of unlawful possession of a firearm. On appeal, Reed argues that the unlawful possession statute requires the State to prove that he knew his firearm possession was illegal and that he knew of his prior disqualifying felony. He also contends that the statute violates the state and federal constitutions’ equal protection clauses because defendants convicted after 1994 must be notified that their possession of a firearm is unlawful, while defendants convicted before 1994 are not so informed. Because the unlawful possession statute does not require knowledge that…