- Many violent felonies involve the use of a weapon.a gun image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
According to "Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law," a violent felony is a crime that can cause serious injury to another individual. The use of a weapon in a crime can turn what would not have been a felony offense into a violent felony, especially if the criminal has committed serious crimes in the past. - Federal authorities are involved in the investigation of bank robberies across the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation says most bank robberies involve verbal and written demands directed at bank employees, but often bank robbers use weapons and violent force to commit robberies.
- Manslaughter is considered a violent felony, unless a judge rules involuntary manslaughter. An actual murder does not have to take place for a person to commit a violent felony, since the person can assault another individual with the intent to murder the other person. Gang violence often falls into the category of murder, and so is considered a violent felony.
- Murder for hire involves a person paying someone else to murder a third person, making it so the crime is more difficult to trace back to the person who paid for the murder. According to the FBI, murder for hire was made an official federal crime in 1958. The murder does not have to take place for the action of paying for a murder to be considered a violent crime.
- Violent crimes against children are considered felony offenses, and carry mandatory minimum sentences under federal law, according to Cornell University Law School. Violent crimes against children include kidnapping, maiming, or the use of a weapon during any crime committed in relation to a child. The law defines a child as an individual who is under 18 years of age.
- The government has classified various sexual assault crimes as violent felonies. If an individual assaults someone else and has the intent to rape the other person, the assault alone can be tried as a violent felony. Sexual abuse, including with or without a weapon, is also considered by the law to be a violent felony.
