§2283 Transportation of explosive, biological, chemical, or radioactive or nuclear materials

Summary

If a person knowingly carries on a ship—inside the United States, in U.S. waters, on the high seas, or on a U.S.-flagged vessel—an explosive or incendiary device, a biological agent, a chemical weapon, or radioactive or nuclear material, and knows the item is meant to be used to commit certain federal crimes, that person can be fined, sent to prison for any number of years or for life, or both. If someone dies because of that conduct, the person who caused the death can be punished by death. Key defined terms (short): biological agent — a microbe, toxin, or carrier used to spread disease (defined elsewhere); by-product material — as defined in the Atomic Energy Act; chemical weapon — defined in another law; explosive or incendiary device — defined elsewhere and includes explosive materials; nuclear material — defined elsewhere; radioactive material — includes source and special nuclear material (but not natural or depleted uranium), nuclear by-products, material made radioactive in an accelerator, and refined radium isotopes; source material — defined in the Atomic Energy Act; special nuclear material — defined in the Atomic Energy Act.