312
Opinion of the Court
It ruled Massachusetts law did not forbid petitioner's possession of firearms because he could possess rifles. 941 F. Supp. 238, 251-254 (Mass. 1996). Though Massachusetts restricted petitioner's right to carry a handgun, the District Court considered the restriction irrelevant because his case involved rifles and shotguns. See ibid. The First Circuit reversed, counting the convictions because petitioner remained subject to significant firearms restrictions. We granted certiorari. 522 U. S. 1038 (1998).
II
A federal statute forbids possession of firearms by those convicted of serious offenses. An abbreviated version of the statute is as follows:
"It shall be unlawful for any person— "(1) who has been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
. . . . . "to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce." 18 U. S. C. § 922(g).
Three-time violent felons who violate § 922(g) face enhanced sentences of at least 15 years' imprisonment. § 924(e)(1). "Violent felony" is defined to include burglary and other crimes creating a serious risk of physical injury. § 924(e)(2)(B)(ii). This term includes petitioner's previous offenses discussed above.
Not all violent felony convictions, however, count for purposes of § 922(g) or § 924(e). Until 1986, federal law alone determined whether a state conviction counted, regardless of whether the State had expunged the conviction.
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