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SOLONg discusses the "scienter" requirement in various laws. I believe this refers to the legal requirement that you know you are breaking the law in order to be breaking the law (so to speak). The export restrictions we discuss so much here also have this requirement. If you drive across the border with your pickup truck full of ammunition, the government has to prove that you knew it was illegal to do so in order to convict you.
In general, scienter/mens rea requirements mean that you must have intended a particular action (or failure to act) - the question is about your understanding of the facts of a particular situation, not the legal status of a particular situation. Given your example, it's illegal to drive across the border, knowing your pickup contains ammunition - whether or not you believe your actions are legal. It's not illegal to drive across the border with a box full of ammunition if you thought you were carrying a box full of clothes. The old saw "ignorance of the law is no excuse" is basically accurate. Good-faith reliance on legal advice from competent counsel won't even save you. (but it might get you a malpractice judgement/settlement). -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.5 iQCVAgUBLn9lpH3YhjZY3fMNAQFZdwQAtuuPDIZZ36A8SWUoe7LxM1XPWPgRmtUb 8XaTjqTLqDu9ox1x7E4chnVlGmyrkLEkCHfflEU3cPYvWe+6QjosaY8FJcLy2Ohn Jg0EhJNXv/Xqu/0DLWA5gLJinbv4V3m1CUs9283N8vyDpb8H7ItUVEZN4ToUftA7 LQK9RmgjeTc= =366c -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----