28-1201. Terms, defined.
For purposes of sections 28-1201 to 28-1212.04, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) Firearm means any weapon which is designed to or may readily be converted to expel any projectile by the action of an explosive or frame or receiver of any such weapon;
(2) Fugitive from justice means any person who has fled or is fleeing from any peace officer to avoid prosecution or incarceration for a felony;
(3) Handgun means any firearm with a barrel less than sixteen inches in length or any firearm designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand;
(4) Juvenile means any person under the age of eighteen years;
(5) Knife means:
(a) Any dagger, dirk, knife, or stiletto with a blade over three and one-half inches in length and which, in the manner it is used or intended to be used, is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury; or
(b) Any other dangerous instrument which is capable of inflicting cutting, stabbing, or tearing wounds and which, in the manner it is used or intended to be used, is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury;
(6) Knuckles and brass or iron knuckles means any instrument that consists of finger rings or guards made of a hard substance and that is designed, made, or adapted for the purpose of inflicting serious bodily injury or death by striking a person with a fist enclosed in the knuckles;
(7) Machine gun means any firearm, whatever its size and usual designation, that shoots automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger;
(8) School means a public, private, denominational, or parochial elementary, vocational, or secondary school, a private postsecondary career school as defined in section 85-1603, a community college, a public or private college, a junior college, or a university;
(9) Short rifle means a rifle having a barrel less than sixteen inches long or an overall length of less than twenty-six inches; and
(10) Short shotgun means a shotgun having a barrel or barrels less than eighteen inches long or an overall length of less than twenty-six inches.
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Annotations
Given the amendment to section 28-1202 and the amendment to the term "knife" as defined in subsection (5) of this section, any knife with a blade over 3 1/2 inches in length is a deadly weapon per se, and the manner or intended use of such deadly weapon is not an element of the crime charged. State v. Nguyen, 293 Neb. 493, 881 N.W.2d 566 (2016).
The Legislature intended the words "with a blade over three and one-half inches" to apply to daggers, dirks, knives, and stilettos, such that any of these items having blades over 3 1/2 inches are "knives" under subsection (4) of this section. Daggers, dirks, knives, or stilettos with blades over 3 1/2 inches are knives per se. When a case involves an instrument not specifically named in subsection (4) of this section, the State bears the burden of proving that the instrument is a dangerous instrument capable of inflicting cutting, stabbing, or tearing wounds, and thus is a "knife" for purposes of section 28-1205(1). State v. Bottolfson, 259 Neb. 470, 610 N.W.2d 378 (2000).
A firearm does not have to be operable in order for the defendant to be guilty of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. State v. Clark, 10 Neb. App. 758, 637 N.W.2d 671 (2002).
The evidence was sufficient to support a conviction for use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, even though a crime laboratory report indicated that the defendant's handgun was inoperable. The evidence indicated that the defendant used a weapon designed to expel a projectile, as the report stated that the handgun was a semiautomatic pistol with a matching magazine. State v. Clark, 10 Neb. App. 758, 637 N.W.2d 671 (2002).