CCW (49)
CA introduces semi-auto ban & confiscation - can't be outdone by NY
Written by reg mathuszNot to be outdone by NY as the most restrictive state regarding firearms CA has introduced a new draconian bill:
The 10-bill package constitutes the single largest gun control push in decades in the Golden State, which already boasts some of the nation's strictest gun laws. It joins equally controversial proposals from Assembly Democrats that would regulate and tax ammunition sales and consider taking the state's 166,000 registered assault weapons from their owners.
I heard that next for consideration was a complete ban on birthday candles to follow (and expand) on Australia's model: http://world.time.com/2013/02/07/australian-kids-face-birthday-candle-ban-to-prevent-spreading-germs/
CA "high capacity" (actually std cap) Mags = Public Nuisance and confiscatable already
Written by reg mathuszSomebody asked me for details on my earlier blog post about travelling through CA that high capacity mags (normal mags to most people) are classified by California Penal Code (recently) as a "public nuisance" and subject to confiscation. These are changes for 2012.
Here are a couple of sources:
and
and
and you might be surprised what else is on the list:
California Penal Code Section 18010
Legal Research Home > California Laws > Penal Code > California Penal Code Section 18010
(a) The Attorney General, district attorney, or city
attorney may bring an action to enjoin the manufacture of,
importation of, keeping for sale of, offering or exposing for sale,
giving, lending, or possession of, any item that constitutes a
nuisance under any of the following provisions:
(1) Section 19290, relating to metal handgrenades.
(2) Section 20390, relating to an air gauge knife.
(3) Section 20490, relating to a belt buckle knife.
(4) Section 20590, relating to a cane sword.
(5) Section 20690, relating to a lipstick case knife.
(6) Section 20790, relating to a shobi-zue.
(7) Section 20990, relating to a writing pen knife.
(8) Section 21190, relating to a ballistic knife.
(9) Section 21890, relating to metal knuckles.
(10) Section 22090, relating to a nunchaku.
(11) Section 22290, relating to a leaded cane or an instrument or
weapon of the kind commonly known as a billy, blackjack, sandbag,
sandclub, sap, or slungshot.
(12) Section 22490, relating to a shuriken.
(13) Section 24390, relating to a camouflaging firearm container.
(14) Section 24490, relating to a cane gun.
(15) Section 24590, relating to a firearm not immediately
recognizable as a firearm.
(16) Section 24690, relating to an undetectable firearm.
(17) Section 24790, relating to a wallet gun.
(18) Section 30290, relating to flechette dart ammunition and to a
bullet with an explosive agent.
(19) Section 31590, relating to an unconventional pistol.
(20) Section 32390, relating to a large-capacity magazine.
(21) Section 32990, relating to a multiburst trigger activator.
(22) Section 33290, relating to a short-barreled rifle or a
short-barreled shotgun.
(23) Section 33690, relating to a zip gun.
(b) These weapons shall be subject to confiscation and summary
destruction whenever found within the state.
(c) These weapons shall be destroyed in the same manner described
in Section 18005, except that upon the certification of a judge or of
the district attorney that the ends of justice will be served
thereby, the weapon shall be preserved until the necessity for its
use ceases.
and here is what Section 32390 says (just a circular reference):
Except as provided in Article 2 (commencing with Section
32400) of this chapter and in Chapter 1 (commencing with Section
17700) of Division 2 of Title 2, any large-capacity magazine is a
nuisance and is subject to Section 18010.
Clackamas Mall Shooter was stopped by a CCW without firing a shot!
Written by reg mathuszOregon News
Clackamas man, armed, confronts mall shooterby Mike Benner
NWCN.com
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 11:03 PM
PORTLAND, Ore ... Nick Meli is emotionally drained. The 22-year-old was at Clackamas Town Center with a friend and her baby when a masked man opened fire.
"I heard three shots and turned and looked at Casey and said, 'are you serious?'"
The friend and baby hit the floor. Meli, who has a concealed carry permit, positioned himself behind a pillar.
"He was working on his rifle," said Meli. "He kept pulling the charging handle and hitting the side."
The break in gunfire allowed Meli to pull out his own gun, but he never took his eyes off the shooter.
"As I was going down to pull I saw someone in the back of the charlotte move and I knew if I fired and missed I could hit them."
Meli took cover inside a nearby store. He never pulled the trigger. He stands by that decision.
"I'm not beating myself up cause I didn't shoot him," said Meli. "I know after he saw me I think the last shot he fired was the one he used on himself."
The gunman was dead, but not before taking two innocent lives with him and taking the innocence of everyone else.
"I don't ever want to see anyone that way ever," said Meli. "It just bothers me."
BladeTech Revolution Paddle with S&W M&P 9c - perfect for car travel
Written by reg mathuszWell, I got my High Noon holster for my S&W 1066 to attach to my Galco Miami Classic II shoulder holster. It is absolutely perfect and I even wore it a couple of days to break it in.
But, I got to thinking about it...1066s are a bit hard to find, not to mention a bit heavy. Adjusting the holster for driving in a car I found that even a full size 5" (like the 1006 or a 1911) pistol is quite comfortable. I think that a pistol like the Sig P220 (alloy frame) would have been ideal for a driving shoulder rig.
I also reconsidered my previous selection of only a single stack. The pistol gets triple-locked into a hard case locked in the trunk for the duration of CA. If it was to come out of the case it would be in an emergency. If a life/death situation were to occur I would have much bigger concerns than being in possession of the "nuisance items" (as defined by CA Penal Code) high-cap mags. In fact, I am pretty sure the pistol would be confiscated regardless.
So after all that I decided to go the complete opposite route - something very small, easily worn, and that could be replaced by my local gun shop. I picked my S&W M&P 9mm compact.
I chose my BladeTech Revolution with the paddle attachment. I used 0 degree cant with the thought that I could wear it as a cross-draw to avoid seat belt entanglement. As it happens I wore it strong side. Its short length was quite comfortable even sitting 10-14 hours in a car. The paddle attachment was perfect for quick removal when stopping at the OR/CA border to lock the pistol up.
Sub-compact pistol + paddle holster for me is a perfect combo with a comfortable shoulder holster with a lightweight framed pistol as a good alternative.
5 stitch belt vs thick leather belt vs heavy pistol, part II
Written by reg mathuszPreviously, I had blogged that I didn't think that my Wilderness 5-stitch belt was as good balancing the weight of a heavy pistol as a heavy-duty leather belt. I few people questioned that statement pointing out that they regularly carry a 1911 with one. I don't doubt that, in fact I have also, so I decided to do a followup test.
The setup:
S&W 1066 10mm pistol (39.5oz unloaded)
Crossbreed IWB holster (actually for an M&P)
With and without a loaded spare mag in a Galco OWB mag pouch
Jeans
Wilderness 5-stitch vs Galco SB2 belt (both 1.5" width)
The scenarios:
Walking the dog along trails, not heavy trekking but up and down hills quite a bit
Driving
I started with Wilderness because that is what I was wearing. The weight of the pistol quickly was noticeable. Within 10 mins my back began to hurt. I took the spare mag off and moved it to my jacket. It was marginally better. Not something I want to try again purposefully.
The next day I switched to the Galco belt and did the same trek. Much more comfortable. I was able to do the entire trek (about an hour) before feeling back pain. I did not have to remove the spare mag. However, again not my favorite carry method - far from comfortable.
Now the driving test was pretty much a wash. They both were comfortable (as much as driving with an IWB holster can be) up until they weren't. I didn't particularly like either after about 1/2 hour. I can't imagine having to draw IWB while seated in a car but it was a convenient comfort test.
I have not yet gotten a reinforced Wilderness Belt but I suspect that would fare much better. Again the 1066 is a pretty heavy pistol so your mileage may vary, but I think an all steel pistol is better served comfort-wise with a good thick leather belt. However, I don't hesitate carrying a Glock or M&P on the Wilderness.
Anyway, I stand by my initial evaluation.
What states don't honor non-resident CCW licenses? (or explaining multi-state CCW)
Written by reg mathuszSomeone yesterday asked me what states honor what CCW licenses. I had to add the caveat that some states only honor licenses issued to their own residents. For example, I live in Washington but I have a Utah CFP, obviously as a non-resident. Florida honors a Utah CFP -- BUT only for Utah residents. Now, as luck has it Florida does honor Washington's CPL.
So, what states honor what is not always a quick and easy answer. To make matters worse it is not always the same. Some states add or remove other states. For example, New Mexico and Florida. First they were reciprocal. Then they were not. And now they are again. Best to check right before your trip!
The best two sites, IMO, for looking up reciprocity is Florida's site: http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/news/concealed_carry.html
and
Utah's BCI:
http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/FAQother.html
Both have a lot of information and links to the other states. They are also the two most common CCW licenses used for interstate carry.
To answer the original question of what states don't honor out of state (non-resident) CCW licenses I extract the info from the FL site (so you don't have to) they are:
Rethinking the single stack for travelling to mag restricted states
Written by reg mathuszWell, it is time again to travel to California and I will be darned that I will not travel legally armed through my first two states because I cannot in the third (California).
Traditionally, what I have done is--before the border I disarm--unload, lock my firearm up in a lock box separately from the ammo which is then locked in the trunk.
There is much debate on possession of "high capacity" (meaning >10) magazines vs import into CA (the latter of which is illegal). This is now kind of moot, however--researching CA penal code shows that they have recently revised (or reorganized) the PC so that "high capacity" magazines are now considered a "public nuisance" and as such are subject to confiscation!
The easiest option it to buy ban compliant (10 round) magazines. Well, that quite frankly just seems wrong. In fact, it made me order a couple extra "high capacity" (in CA) mags. Not for CA that is.
So, it made me think...I have a few single stacks that fit the bill! I may get some flack but I think that a 5" 1911 is uncomfortable for driving long periods of time, however a Commander length is perfect.
I am actually thinking of traveling with my S&W 1066. Why? Mainly because it is awesome and for some reason I don't have a holster for it (I do for my 1006). In case you didn't know I am a big 10mm fan. I happen to have an unused Galco Miami Classic II holster which I just ordered a High Noon Holster body for. I will let you know how it works out (driving that is).
My backup choice if that doesn't work is a Glock 27 in a paddle holster. The sub-compacts just seem strange in a should rig. Close second was my P220, but I haven't had any range time with it in years. But, it would be nice in a should rig due to its lighter weight.
May Mark Craighead rest in peace. He was a pioneer in holster making (look how many copies there are now) and a gentleman to work with. http://www.momwithagun.com/2012/08/r-i-p-mark-craighead/
Plan in the works to combat gun crime in Seattle | KING5.com Seattle
Written by reg mathuszis it just me or is this weird article? The first sentence...mayor to announce tougher federal penalties are two things that don't normally go together. http://www.king5.com/news/local/Seattle-plan-to-combat-gun-crime-159415415.html
More...
About a week ago I dropped by Blade-Tech to pick up holster. Their customer service is stellar and they had the holster done (at no charge) in a day, even cutting it to custom length for me. Anyway, you can read the details here: http://fortreg.com/firearms/?p=2149. But, this is about the tour...
Blade-Tech kindly offered to give me a factory tour which I gladly took them up on. For those that don't know Blade-Tech is located in Puyallup, WA (kind of between Seattle and Tacoma).
I was first struck by the size of the facility. I parked and walked up to a building marked BladeTech. That was the first suite which was not retail accessible. I kept walking...and walking...about four suite lengths. That's when it dawned on me--The whole strip was Blade-Tech! They have grown quite a bit since they first opened up Lakewood, WA!
They currently occupy approximately 30K square feet. They were literally expanding (knocking out walls, etc) into 45K as I took the tour with eyes on expanding even more. If you were thinking that they are a small shop, you would be wrong!
I didn't realize it, but they have two knife divisions and a fire safety equipment division. They build soft goods, for example fire extinguisher carriers.
Speaking of soft goods, they are expand that line into the vest/armor carrier market! Think Tactical Tailor type gear.
Back to the tour...
I saw an injection mold machine used for their Revolution line of holsters. It uses little plastic pellets that are shaped/sized like wood stove pellets. I think they said there are two.
I was lucky enough to be there while the Kydex mold machine (sorry, not sure what it is actually called) was running. I will try and explain it as best I remember. It runs two molds at once.
Basically there are Kydex sheets of different thickness depending on what they are making. Interesting, because I have noticed that some of their competitors only use one thickness. Logically, Blade-Tech's IWB holsters are thinner than a level III duty holster. I didn't count, but there were at least three different sizes.
So, these sheets are placed into ovens and heated up. The pistol molds are placed on top of two separate vacuums. These molds have tiny holes in them. The heated sheets are placed on top of the mold and the vacuum basically sucks them onto the shape of the molds!
Several large blowers then cool the roughly formed holsters. If you pictured someone with a hair dryer to heat the Kydex to mold it and then a fan to cool it off, you have the right concept, just not nearly on the same scale or technology.
From the holsters are checked by hand. Actually, let me just mention that I was genuinely surprised at how much a Blade-Tech holster is made by hand. It then goes to a person that actually puts a mold of the firearm to finish fitting. After that it goes to a person that puts the mounting hardware in, and then finally off to a QC person.
I would be very surprised if someone ever gets a holster that their pistol doesn't fit in.
Speaking of molds! This was my favorite part of the tour. Row and rows and rows and rows of stacks of molds of pistols! While I was there I spied a mold for a S&W 4566. I see an order being placed shortly. In case you couldn't tell I was really impressed with the number of molds they have. They also do flashlights, multitools, and revolver speed loaders.
I seriously doubt that anyone in the industry has more molds than Blade-Tech does.
I asked why the Blade-Tech website did not list all the holster/pistol combinations that I know they have. For example, the traditional belt holster has a huge list of selectable pistols (like the 4566), but if you go to the Eclipse it is quite a bit shorter (no 4566).
Regarding this, there are a couple things to point out:
- There is a new website coming out and the current one is incomplete for all of the molds they have. If you call customer service they do have a full list. (They do have a toll free number too.)
- They haven't made molds for all of the holster combinations they could possibly make. In other words they probably have not made an Eclipse for a S&W 4566, although they can.
- They plan on offering the Eclipse for everything they have in the standard belt line. Unfortunately, they are not the same mold so they have make it.
- The Revolution holsters use completely different molds and they are VERY cost prohibitive. I wouldn't count on the list of supported pistols to expand greatly. They will probably only have/get molds for the most popular pistols (so, no 4566).
I asked about turn around time. They are currently at 5 weeks. This is in line with a lot of Kydex holster makers. They were actually embarassed - they had prided themselves that they until recently had a 1 -2 week turnaround previously. They are currently running 3 shifts a day including weekends to get caught up!
Now, order back logs might raise concern that QC could suffer, especially as employees work increased/more shifts. However, I was surprised and impressed that everyone there seemed to be happy--from customer service, to sales, to Kydex molder, fork lift driver, etc. Definitely a sign of a good company.
So--great products, superior variety of pistols molds, exemplary customer service and they have happy employees? Blade-Tech is definitely doing things right.
Will another round of May protests in Seattle happen Saturday?
Written by reg mathuszHeads up potential Seattle visitors! Last week the "May Day Zone" became weapons banned & confiscation, authorized by the mayor's emergency powers executive order. Makes you wonder -- what would happen in a real and protracted emergency Like Hurricane Katrina? Or an eruption in the Ring of Fire?)
Anyway, article from the local news today:
Peaceful protesters said violence perpetrated by a select few wrecked their message a week ago on May Day, but the ...
http://cdn.localwireless.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=26&nid=529401638&cid=21216&scid=-1
Did you know that all weapons in the Seattle "May Day Zone" were banned and confiscatable yesterday?
Written by reg mathuszYou may have heard about the Seattle "May Day Protests" and the "Black Bloc" of self-proclaimed anarchists causing mayhem and destruction.
You may have even heard that Mayor McGinn banned "weapons" that included sticks, rocks, flag poles, etc. But, what you may not have known is that he actually banned *all* weapons and the police were allowed to confiscate them.
Am I being alarmist? Maybe not when you consider that this is a Mayor that attempted to uphold former Mayor Nichols' illegal firearms ban -- despite being told by the Attorney General that is was illegal, ruled against in court, ruled against in Appeals, and then finally ruled against by State Supreme Court! See a trend here? What was the order called?
ORDER AUTHORIZING THE CONFISCATION OF WEAPONS
Now, I know of no instance where there was a problem for a legal CCW holder (a valid reason why the framers of our 70s CCW laws made it CONCEALED carry) but the order is written vaguely enough to cover licensed CCW holders.
To the Mayor's credit the order did not apply to lawfully kept weapons in place of business or residence. HOWEVER, legal CCWers should have been exempted also! Walking to your car or driving home could have put you in violation of the law in which your firearm would be potentially confiscated and you would face a $500 if convicted.
You might be wondering how this order is legal? Well, actually it appears that under RCW38.52 it is:
RCW 38.52.020: (b) To confer upon the governor and upon the executive heads of the political subdivisions of the state the emergency powers provided herein;
and
RCW 38.52.070: (2) In carrying out the provisions of this chapter each political subdivision, in which any disaster as described in RCW 38.52.020 occurs, shall have the power to enter into contracts and incur obligations necessary to combat such disaster, protecting the health and safety of persons and property, and providing emergency assistance to the victims of such disaster. Each political subdivision is authorized to exercise the powers vested under this section in the light of the exigencies of an extreme emergency situation without regard to time-consuming procedures and formalities prescribed by law
Now the interesting thing is that even under Emergency Powers heads of political subdivisions are still answerable to the Governor. This explains why the ORDER AUTHORIZING THE CONFISCATION OF WEAPONS mentions that a copy was sent to the Governor and King Co. Executive.
The order was written to expire in 48 hours or earlier. True to his word the Mayor did rescind it today.
I include copies of the orders here since these things tend to disappear after time and memory.
120501PR-proclamationConfiscation
120501PR-civilOrderConfiscation
120502PR-proclamationConfiscationTermination
I get asked about multi-state carry quite a bit. Since being former UTAH CFP instructor (my certification expired and I did not renew) I am glad to see that more and more states recognize each other's CCW licenses. In more good news 49 states in the Union issue CCW licenses (post here). Many even recognize those that have licenses from a state other than their home state. Utah and Florida CCW licenses are often regarded as the best to hold since they both issue to non-residents and are recognized by the majority of states (20-30).
Not all is good news though. Not all states issue licenses to non-residents and even more states don't recognize any out-of-state licenses.
To confuse matters even more some states only recognize out-of-state licenses only if they are a resident of the issuing state. For example, Florida is one of those states. In order to use Utah CFP reciprocity in Florida you must actually be a resident of Utah.
There is Federal Legislation pending to provide for National recognition of a CCW license, much like a driver's license is. It is H.R. 822. More information about it can be found in my blog post: HERE. I don't know how far it will get, but we can always hope.
More bad news is that some states have taken nitpicking reciprocity and looking for any small reason to not honoring other states licenses. States usually have a 'similar provisions' requirement. This means that as long as the requirements for a CCW license in state A is "similar" to state B it should be honored. Unfortunately, in some cases this has been interpreted to mean "EXACT." States have been dropped from reciprocity for differences as minute such as:
- State A's license is good for 4 years and state B's was recently extneded to 7 years. This is why you may have noticed Florida has been dropped from some state's reciprocity.
- State A only requires x hours of training while State B requires additional hours, or State A requires live fire while State B does not. This is why you have seen Utah dropped from some state's reciprocity.
When traveling you are required to adhere to the rules of the state you are in. Just because your home state allows you to be in an age restricted area (bar) doesn't mean that you can in another. In fact, some states do not even allow you to CCW in a restaurant that even serves alcohol.
DISCLAIMER: I am only talking about being in the same vicinity of alcohol. Legality aside, it should be obvious that the consumption of alcohol and CCW'ing is a bad idea.
If it sounds like a lot of fuss it is because it is. When I traveling I ALWAYS consult with the laws of each state. Easier said then done?
The best two resources for beginning CCW research laws that I have found are (not surprisingly) Utah's and Florida's reciprocity websites. They each have links to the State(s) in question that you can click on and go to directly. Occasionally, a State's link does change. If it is bad you can fish around the provided link and can usually find the new one. Florida is a little different in the fact that it is issued by the Dept of Agriculture.
Links:
- Utah Dept of Public Safety Reciprocity Page
- Florida Dept of Agriculture - Conceal Carry Reciprocity Page
I hope that you find this useful. Let me know!