Need dumb question answered on CA laws...

[aikidoka]

Okay...this is probably a very dumb question, but....

My wife have been ardent handgunners for about a year now...been to lots of tactical classes,etc.

But one thing escapes me...and we got a reminder from a movie the other night (I know, I know...I shouldn't believe a movie)

When the police see/stop, whatever someone with a gun and they are NOT in hot pursuit..i.e. they don't immediately draw their weapons....the first thing they always have them say is..."Hey buddy, do you have a permit for that thing?"

So my question...what is my "permit?" I don't have a BFSC, since I am a veteran and used my DD-214 to qualify for purchase. I DO have my receipts, but somehow I don't think this would do. Or do they have the ability to do a NIC in the field on a handgun? The thought that I am supposed to carrying a 3 page document folded up in my wallet to "prove" that I am a legal gun owner seems a bit goofy.

Any ideas?

Thanks

aiki

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The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion--R. Kipling

[danshap]

You *have* to have a CCW ( permit to carry a concealed weapon) to carry in CA. The permit will list (i think) up to three guns you are allowed to carry. Depending on where you live a CCW could be a sure thing or an absolute nightmare to obtain.

If your talking about getting stopped on the way to the range with your unloaded firearm in a locked box, then I dunno how they would handle it.

[Troy]

There is no permit necessary to own/possess a handgun in the PRK, and your guns aren't "offically" registered. Of course, if you bought them legally, they ARE effectively (and illegally) registered. But, say, if a cop ever stopped you and found your legally possessed gun (like, on the way to the range), they generally just call in the serial numbers to check if they are on the "stolen/wanted" list.

Of course, different officers will react differently. And, as mentioned, unless you're in a county that's largely farm/wilderness, it's nearly impossible to get a CCW. They recently pulled them from even the Reserve Police in Contra Costa County (East Bay Area) when one of them shot himself with his back-up piece that he had carried loaded (against the rules) onto the range...

-Troy

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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve
neither liberty nor safety."-- Benjamin Franklin

[Jim March]

It's like this.

Some East Coast states or jurisdictions require a permit to OWN a gun. NYC pioneered this in 1911 with the Sullivan Act.

California isn't like that. If you have a gun in the home, unless it's been reported stolen OR you are of a class of people not allowed to own a gun, you're OK.

If the gun is new enough, in theory it should have beeen "registered" to you at the time you bought it, so if it doesn't turn up in the lists in your name, it's de-facto proof you bought it in some funky extra-legal fashion. By Calif law, no private gun sales are legal unless they go through a dealer to have the registry process and waiting period done. HOWEVER, the DOJ's tracking is so notoriously screwed up, they can't really make a bust unless it's on the "stolen gun list", which IS mostly accurate.

The BFSC isn't a "permit" - it's one form of proof that you know enough basics about gun safety to be allowed to purchase a gun new. But if you own a gun from before the BFSC system was put in, there's no problem.

The BIG kicker in this state is the "Concealed Carry Weapon" permit. This is what allowes legal street defense, a major goal of any informed Calif. gunnie .

A CCW permit is available from your PD Chief if you're a city resident, or in ALL cases you can apply with the Sheriff of your county. Whether or not you get it is purely at their "whim", by a state law that dates to 1923 and was designed as an equal protection violation. Illegality, corruption, racism, elitism and cronyism is RAMPANT in the process statewide. My website is devoted to exposing the problems, documenting them for the legislature, the media and as fodder for lawsuits based on equal protection principles. There's a PILE of info on my site - pay particular attention to the formal legal opinion, the Guillory and Salute high court judgements, the "Contra Costa Cronies Roster", "CCW In California: A Disaster Analyzed" and the "history" section. I know, it's a lot of stuff but it we expect to end generations worth of police abuse and corruption, we're going to have to know what the rules REALLY are. See my URL below.

In 30 states, it's possible to get a CCW permit purely by jumping through a set of objective hoops, like a background check, modest training, etc. You make it past that, you're gonna score, and the personal biases of top law enforcement isn't a factor. In Vermont, anyone can pack anything open, concealed, whatever, no permit necessary . This is the long-term holy grail in gun rights but at present, it's not politically feasable to convert California to this. There's a few states where it MIGHT be possible, and more power to 'em.

Finally, some of the most screwed up states such as Mass. have "two tiered permits" whereby there's one for basic ownership, and another for carry. The carry permit in such cases is "discretionary" like California's and in some cases, so is the ownership permit.

Jim March
Equal Rights for CCW Home Page http://www.ninehundred.com/~equalccw