Texas Law Shield is gratified by how big the California carry-license count could become under “shall-issue” licensing — projected to be as high as 1.4 million during the first year.
“Shall-issue” means local law enforcement can’t arbitrarily deny a carry permit.
“May-issue” licensing, as applied in California, meant that local law enforcement had wide discretion over carry permits they issued. Applicants had to show “good cause” for their need to carry, and everyday self-defense wasn’t considered good enough cause.
The Ninth Circuit’s decision in Peruta said “good cause” requirements were unconstitutional, so law enforcement’s old “may-issue” scheme could be turned into a “shall-issue” system.
The Calguns Foundation estimates that from 1 to 5 percent of the state’s inhabitants would apply for “shall-issue” licenses, varying by county. The overall average would likely be 2 percent, Calguns projects.
According to California Department of Justice figures, the number of California CCW licensees in 2013 totaled just over 56,000. The largest county, Los Angeles, had 7,667,730 residents but only 173 CCW licenses. It was widely called a “low-issue” or “no-issue” county.
If only 1 percent of LA County inhabitants get CCWs under “shall-issue” rules, that would boost the total to 76,677, an increase of 44,200%.
Will California allow “shall issue” rules to come into common use, or will the state and its jurisdictions fight to restrict CCW licenses further? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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