LICENSES TO CARRY CONCEALED WEAPONS

Licenses to carry concealed weapons are issued by a police department or the Sheriff’s Department. Each application is evaluated on an individual basis and a permit granted only when a compelling need is demonstrated. Licenses are valid for a maximum of one year unless the period is shortened. In no case will a permit be valid for more than a year.

It is not necessary to obtain a concealed-weapon permit to purchase a concealable weapon to keep at home. The permit simply allows for carrying a weapon outside the home in “a concealable fashion”--for instance, tucked in the waistband of one’s pants or in the glove compartment of a car.

To buy a firearm, one must be at least 21 years old and possess a valid driver license. After filling out the proper forms--the Firearms Transaction Record and the Dealer’s Record of Sale of Revolver or Pistol--there is then a 15-day waiting period during which the firearm is held at the place of purchase and the information is forwarded to the Department of Justice, which verifies that the applicant doesn’t have a criminal record and qualifies for gun ownership. If the proprietors do not hear from the Justice Department, it is assumed the applicant has been cleared and sale of the gun is completed. If the applicant is disqualified, the sale is terminated and the customer receives a full refund.

Anyone who has been convicted of a felony, is addicted to narcotics, has been dishonorably discharged from the military, is an illegal alien, has renounced United States citizenship or been found to be mentally ill may not legally possess a firearm.

Below is a city-by-city listing of the number of licenses to carry concealed weapons that have been issued in Orange County from 1985 through 1987.

City 1985 1986 1987 Anaheim 5 7 4 Brea 4 4 4 Buena Park 35 32 22 Costa Mesa 8 15 0 Fountain Valley 6 1 0 Fullerton 3 3 1 Garden Grove 17 14 14 Huntington Beach 15 17 5 Irvine 2 5 4 Laguna Beach 5 0 1 La Habra 5 5 2 La Palma 1 1 0 Newport Beach 3 5 5 Orange 1 8 4 Santa Ana 6 14 10 Seal Beach 0 0 1 Stanton 2 1 0 Tustin 4 7 2 Sheriff’s Office 246 185 157 TOTAL 368 324 236

% change, 1985-’86: -12

% change, 1986-’87: -27

Source: California Department of Justice, Automated Firearms/Licenses and Permits Unit; Deering’s California Codes Annotated, 1980, with Amendments, January, 1988.