# CC permit in Southern California??



## uncle ben (Dec 20, 2007)

Has anyone out there tried and succeeded in this? I'm not military or police and never have been, and from what I've heard you need permission from your County's Sheriff, and that would be LA County for me. Seems like it would be next to impossible for a normal Joe, even with a perfect record. I know they require a two day 16 hour class, but getting the permission/approval to begin with seems like the much harder part to me. You also have to show good cause to carry, and self defence might not fly over here.

Any insight is much appreciated!


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## SaGriffie (Dec 5, 2007)

I usually fly under the radar here and lurk, but was just in Turner's two days ago and some guy was asking the same question. The manager told him you have to be rich or famous to get a CCW in LA County.


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

In CA you probably need a license to carry a swiss army pocket knife.


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## uncle ben (Dec 20, 2007)

SaGriffie said:


> I usually fly under the radar here and lurk, but was just in Turner's two days ago and some guy was asking the same question. The manager told him you have to be rich or famous to get a CCW in LA County.


Interesting, because I was just in Turners also and noticed the flyer for the CCW class posted up (didn't ask about it), but i suppose anyone can pay for the class, but if you can't get the permission I guess it wouldn't matter how many classes you take.


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## SaGriffie (Dec 5, 2007)

uncle ben said:


> Interesting, because I was just in Turners also and noticed the flyer for the CCW class posted up (didn't ask about it), but i suppose anyone can pay for the class, but if you can't get the permission I guess it wouldn't matter how many classes you take.


The guy was asking about the same flyer and was told it's basically for OC, Riverside and San Bernardino. He said "They'll take your money, but notice at the bottom, it says it doesn't guarantee you'll get the permit."

Hope that helps and if you do figure out a way to make it work, post what you did.


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

Sounds like basically the same I stuff I've heard. As I mentioned in another post the other day it seems that in order to _"demonstrate a need"_ you almost have to get shot while you're turning in the application.

I would think especially in Orange County it would be impossible to obtain right now or in the near future given the shake-up in the big chair of the Sheriff's department. I could not imagine either the interim head or whoever becomes the new Sheriff getting loosey-goosey with CCW permits as his first order of business.

And California has no reciprocity. So trying to get one through residency in another state (i.e. recently moved, vacation home or family members) would not do any good either.


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## SaGriffie (Dec 5, 2007)

I tried the same thing Wyatt. Resident of LA, but have a vacation home in Tulare County, so tried to go that route to get a ccw and was shot down. Pardon the pun. :mrgreen: 

Going to continue that route since the vacation home is very rural and nearest LEO is 45 minutes away.


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

Yeah Grif, you would think it would be easier to get one in Tulare County, being more rural, assuming you can demonstrate residence. 

Even someone with a vacation home or family in another state or someone who just moved to California that can claim residence in another state. A CCW permit issued anywhere outside California is not recognized and has no validity in California.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Los Angeles? Good luck!*

I used to live in West L.A. I tried for years and years to get a CCW permit in L.A. County. I tried LAPD, with no luck. Since I worked in Culver City, I tried CCPD too, still with no luck. I have LEO friends, one a pistol instructor, all of whom vouched for both my good character and my firearms expertise. Still no luck.
A group of us started a lawsuit against both L.A. City and County, trying to change things. No luck with that, either.
Friends in Kern County did much better. All of them have CCW permits now.
My advice: move to Bakersfield.
(I'm only *half* kidding.)


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## uncle ben (Dec 20, 2007)

So I guess we are "shall issue" state on paper only, which of course means nothing. Sheriffs would probably be fired if they started giving them out to "regular citizens" who qualified...


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

I didn't know we were a "shall issue" state even on paper. Local police/sheriff have the discretion by law, that makes us a "may issue" state as opposed to shall issue.

You may find this of interest, California is ranked #1 by a good margin:smt169 You'll note we get the maximum 2 points for not being a shall issue state.

http://www.stategunlaws.org/?bro_issue=feb&bro_year=2008


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*"Shall issue" state? Not likely.*



uncle ben said:


> So I guess we are "shall issue" state on paper only, which of course means nothing. Sheriffs would probably be fired if they started giving them out to "regular citizens" who qualified...


California is definitely not a "shall issue" state. It is a "may issue" state, which mostly works out to a "never issue" state.


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## Thunderhawk (Jun 28, 2006)

> The guy was asking about the same flyer and was told it's basically for OC, Riverside and San Bernardino. He said "They'll take your money, but notice at the bottom, it says it doesn't guarantee you'll get the permit."


More gun-shop BS. Riverside County is hard to get one from, but San Berardino and Orange Counties are fairly easy. (I do not believe CCW policies have changed much since Mike Carona stepped down in OC.) 
San Bernardino requires a half-day CCW course at the Sheriff's Accademy.

Check out this site for more info...

http://californiaccw.org/


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

Thunderhawk said:


> More gun-shop BS. Riverside County is hard to get one from, but San Berardino and Orange Counties are fairly easy. (I do not believe CCW policies have changed much since Mike Carona stepped down in OC.)
> San Bernardino requires a half-day CCW course at the Sheriff's Accademy.
> 
> Check out this site for more info...
> ...


Very, very interesting website. Thanks for that Thunderhawk. From what you say it seems now would be the time to file in OC given the unknown politics of the next Sheriff.


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## Thunderhawk (Jun 28, 2006)

> From what you say it seems now would be the time to file in OC given the unknown politics of the next Sheriff.


Oh yeah, I'd jump on it fast.


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## oceanside (Feb 1, 2008)

good luck in Kalifornia. High taxes and lame gun laws. You should consider moving to the real America :mrgreen:


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## Thunderhawk (Jun 28, 2006)

> good luck in Kalifornia. High taxes and lame gun laws. You should consider moving to the real America


Wow...thank you for that brilliant comment.


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## PanaDP (Jul 20, 2007)

OC is actually quite friendly to CCW right now. It's LA county that is virtually impossible. Of the millions of residents of greater LA (3 something million in Los Angeles proper alone), I believe there are less than 2 or 300 CCWs issued currently. Someone on calccw has those stats. Search or ask there to find out more.


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## PanaDP (Jul 20, 2007)

Remembered a bit wrong, though percentage-wise it's not far off. 1289 issued CCWs in LA county in 2006.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

oceanside said:


> good luck in Kalifornia. High taxes and lame gun laws. You should consider moving to the real America :mrgreen:


As hard as this may be to believe, some people have other things in their lives besides guns. Maybe they are in California for family, work, or simply for the many good things California offers - like beaches, beautiful weather, wine country, water access, whatever.

I'd move to California under some circumstances. The wife and I have talked about retiring in northern Cali, actually.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*California, there I went...*



Mike Barham said:


> ...I'd move to California under some circumstances. The wife and I have talked about retiring in northern Cali, actually.


Our daughter and her husband were just in Mill Valley, and sent us lots of photographs to remind us of it. It's still very pretty, but also it looks very crowded.
That last is the main reason we left Southern California to move to the far upper left-hand corner of Washington. The 405 Freeway had become a parking lot, not just during rush hour, but all of the time. My route out to our club's leased range in the mountains above Palmdale went from being a pleasant drive in the country to a bumper-to-bumper commute.
So now we live where it's at least just as pretty as Mill Valley but there are lots fewer people, and where a CCW is a right, not an impossibility. It took us a while to find a place to shoot, but we made some friends and now we're OK.
California? You can have it.
_Chaque un à son gout._


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

PanaDP,

I looked at that table:

http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/forms/pdf/ccwissuances2006.pdf

I'm not clear if it is the number issued in the year for each of those years, or the total number outstanding for each of those years.

One of the things I don't get is that the 2006 figure for LA county is not far behind Orange county, yet supposedly LA is impossible while OC is possible. I know LA has more people, but OC isn't exactly sparsely populated. The other thing, and this may enter into it, is the figures don't tell you if these are all new licenses or just the total. If the latter, I wonder how many of these are renewals as opposed to new licenses. Theoretically, all of the licenses issued in 2004 would be up for renewal in 2006 - though this would be true for OC as well as LA counties.


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## Thunderhawk (Jun 28, 2006)

> California? You can have it.


Well thank you Steve, and we appreciate you leaving, it feels better already!


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

Very well put, Mike. 

It's like saying if you play golf you'd have to be a doofus for living somewhere that snows in the winter.

There is more to life than guns. Speaking of S. Cal, certainly there are some things negative, but frankly the gun laws are not the worst of it for me. I get much more aggravated by the traffic than I do about California being a "nay carry" state (mis-spelling intended) or being limited to 10 rounds (well, since I'm grandfathered in I guess it's easier for me to accept this). I'm also not thrilled by what a gun store owner said to me yesterday: "Forget all the new stuff you see coming out in the magazines because none of it will be approved in California. " I'm looking at subcompacts and there is not one single Keltec gun of any kind approved for sale in California. That bothers me because I was interested in the PF-9 and P-3AT.

I also find it a bit bizarre that the same state that is so restrictive on firearms is so lenient on drugs (i.e. medical pot, trafiic ticket for small amounts etc.).

But there are more important things to me. My work requires me to be in a "money center" and SoCal definitely qualifies as such. The weather sure beats other money centers like Chicago or NYC. I live by the beach and can play golf year round. 

Surf at sunrise, play a round of golf (in shorts) in the morning, then hop in the car and an hour later you can be snow skiing and still have time to drive back to the beach for the sunset. OK, I only do two of those, but you get the idea - there are attractive aspects of life here, "In 'n Out" Burgers being just one example.:smt023

Yes, I'm a supporter of the right to keep and bear arms. And a politician's stance on this will enter into my voting decision. But for my personal situation I still have the statutory right in California that is the MOST important to me and that is the right to defend my home/family with a firearm.

I do understand the notion of the common good whether or not it pertains to my situation. For example, I do support the "shall carry" stance whether or not I would choose to carry, but I'm not about to sell my home, quit my profession, take my kid out of school and move away from friends and family because California is going to bullet identification. Just like I put up with the traffic, I put up with the restrictive firearms laws because, in totality, it is a nice place to live. Yes, there are other nice places to live, some of which have favorable views on firearms, but this is where I happen to be established and settled. I have no desire to start life over somewhere else just so I can keep a .380 in the small of my back at the movie theater.

Just my $ point/oh/two.


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