Commonwealth v. Wynton W., 459 Mass. 745

Juvenile possessed a two-inch folding knife at Assabet Valley Regional High School; knife allegedly given by his father for birthday.
School officials suspended him; he was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon on school grounds under G. L. c. 269, § 10(j).
The juvenile moved to dismiss; matter reported, with both sides requesting direct appellate review.
Question presented: whether ‘dangerous weapon’ in § 10(j) has a common-law meaning or is limited to the § 10(b) list of per se dangerous weapons.
Court holds that ‘dangerous weapon’ in § 10(j) incorporates the common-law definition (per se or as used) and remands for further proceedings.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Meaning of dangerous weapon in § 10(j)?	Commonwealth: adopt § 10(b) list for § 10(j).	Juvenile: adopt ordinary common-law meaning of dangerous weapon.	Common-law meaning applies.
Should § 10(j) adopt common-law per se/used distinctions?	Commonwealth favors broader reading aligning with § 10(b) and related statutes.	Juvenile: common-law framework should govern.	Yes; dangerous weapon includes per se and used-by-dangerous-fashion objects.
Is §37H import relevant to §10(j)?	Commonwealth argues identical intent across statutes warrants same scope.	Juvenile contends §37H is only for disciplinary proceedings, not §10(j).	Not persuasive; §37H not controlling §10(j).

Commonwealth v. Appleby, 380 Mass. 296 (Mass. 1980) (defines dangerous weapon as per se or used in dangerous fashion)
Commonwealth v. Tevlin, 433 Mass. 305 (Mass. 2001) (dangerous weapons may be used, not just per se)
Commonwealth v. Turner, 59 Mass. App. Ct. 825 (Mass. App. Ct. 2003) ( cautions against broad, absurd open-ended definitions)
Commonwealth v. Lord, 55 Mass. App. Ct. 265 (Mass. App. Ct. 2002) (notes that some items are dangerous per se under common law)
Commonwealth v. Miller, 22 Mass. App. Ct. 694 (Mass. App. Ct. 1986) (dirk knife definition context for §10(b))