If you have been charged with illegal possession of a weapon (i.e, possession of a weapon on school grounds, possession of a weapon at the airport, possession of a weapon on city property, possession of a firearm by a felon) or carrying a concealed weapon, preserve your right to a strong defense. Remain silent unless you have an attorney present.

(Note that we may associate an attorney in another firm to assist with some cases. We also, of course, employ capable support staff who handle various administrative aspects of cases.)

If you have been arrested for armed assault or on weapons charges, do not talk to the police until you talk to a lawyer. Contact our Gastonia office to arrange a consultation.

Depending on the unique circumstances surrounding the charges against you, Attorney Shook may be able to get charges dropped altogether or reduced to a lesser offense. If your armed assault or another weapons charge case goes to trial, he will provide a powerful defense.

Defense against a weapons charge

• Were you accused of carrying a concealed weapon because you had a box cutter in your pocket?
• Was the evidence against you acquired during an illegal traffic stop or as a result of illegal search and seizure?
• Did you even realize there was a knife or gun under the seat of the car you borrowed?
• Did you mistakenly carry your weapon into the city-owned Charlotte Douglas International Airport because you forgot it was there?

These are only a few of the questions he will consider when determining how to approach your defense.

As your lawyer, Mr. Shook can represent clients in state and federal courts in Gaston, Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, including cases involving the following:

• Carrying a concealed weapon
• Assault with a deadly weapon (armed assault)
• Possession of firearms by a felon
• Possession of a weapon on school grounds
• Possession of a weapon at the airport
• Possession of a weapon on city property
• Possession of a weapon in a court house
• Possession of knives, guns, box cutters or baseball bats
• Use of a firearm during a drug offense
• Possession of a weapon during a drug offense

Restoring firearms rights

In certain instances, a defendant convicted of prescribed offenses may have his firearms rights restored pursuant to North Carolina state law.

The purpose of the law is to allow a North Carolina resident who was convicted of a single nonviolent felony who has complied with other statutory conditions to restore their firearms rights in this state. This would mean that the person may purchase, own, possess, or have in the person’s custody, care, or control any firearm.

The person must wait to file a petition until 20 years after their conviction and compliance with all sentencing conditions. The court may restore a petitioner’s firearms rights after a court hearing if the judge determines that the petitioner meets the criteria of the law, is not otherwise disqualified to have that right restored and has not been convicted of certain other offenses in the past 20 years.

The petition will be denied if they have a pending felony, been dishonorably discharged from the military, been convicted of or received a PJC for certain crimes or is otherwise statutorily ineligible.

A successful restoration is not the equivalent to an expunction of any criminal history record information and does not constitute a pardon.

Contact an experienced attorney today

Call 704-671-2390 or email our Gastonia office to schedule a consultation with a lawyer with experience in cases involving weapons charges.