Relatively few legally carry weapons locally
Scarcely more than two-dozen civilians in San Benito County are
licensed to carry concealed weapons.
People who are not employed in law enforcement must obtain a
permit to legally carry a handgun in California and renew that
permit every two years.
Relatively few legally carry weapons locally
Scarcely more than two-dozen civilians in San Benito County are licensed to carry concealed weapons.
People who are not employed in law enforcement must obtain a permit to legally carry a handgun in California and renew that permit every two years.
But for one reason or another, relatively few people are asking for them, and law enforcement officials are at a loss to explain why, or to explain why there seems to be a small rise in interest to pack a piece recently.
“What’s interesting is you’ve got counties like Kern that have something like 5,000 permits out,” said Sheriff Curtis Hill. “For some reason, we just don’t get that many requests.”
All of the valid permits in San Benito County were issued through Hill’s office.
“My requirements are very, very strict,” said Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller. “The bottom line is, you have to demonstrate a very real need to carry a concealed firearm.”
And at the bottom of that bottom line, Miller has issued no current concealed weapon permits. In fact, he said the last request for one was more than a year ago.
Sheriff Hill, too, takes his responsibility seriously, but he’s quick to add that he’s not opposed to private citizens carrying weapons.
“The number of permits that I have is incredibly low,” Hill said. “I don’t know why. My policy … is not restrictive at all.”
Dep. Marc Williams processes all permit requests through the sheriff’s department. He said there are “approximately 25 active concealed weapon permits” in the county.
Williams did say that he’s seen “increased interest,” and “we have six new CCW’s [concealed carry weapons] pending investigation with more coming in, so I’m sure we’ll have more CCW applicants in the future.”
Williams said current permit holders fall into two groups, rural ranchers who are likely to encounter armed trespassers and local business people who often carry large sums of cash. But recent applicants fall into a different group, he said.
“They don’t feel safe in town. I had one guy who was in the process. He came home right after his house was burglarized,” he said.
“That’s a sad commentary, isn’t it?” Hill remarked. “I don’t know if it’s a local or a global concern. Violence and crime are going down, actually.”
Hill said most of the violence reported in San Benito County is related to gang activity.
“Saturday afternoon, I’m driving into town and I’m on Airline near Enterprise,” Hill said. “I see two guys in full gang paraphernalia – red clothes head to toe. They weigh maybe 200 pounds between them. They didn’t have a lot of physical ability between them. You get four to five guys in a car with the wrong attitude and they’re in for a beating or worse.”
Law enforcement officials agree that there are certainly many more guns tucked into waistbands than 25 permits would indicate. Hill described an estimate of 1,000 guns on local streets as conservative.
Obtaining a permit is relatively straightforward, and it’s spelled out in a six-page policy on file at the sheriff’s office.
“A resident of the county comes to the sheriff’s department and requests a CCW packet from the office staff,” Williams explained. “The packet contains all the necessary forms and instructions on how to complete them. Upon completion of the forms the resident returns the completed packet to the sheriff’s department.”
After reviewing completed applications, Williams does a background check, looking into local and state records for criminal history and interviewing references. “If no problems or issues are apparent, the resident is scheduled for a ‘Livescan’ appointment where they are electronically fingerprinted,” he said. The prints go to the state Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Once everyone approves, the applicant goes to Hill for review and approval or denial.
Successful applicants have to attend a four-hour training session covering liability issues at the sheriff’s office.
Williams said his office does not check for ability to handle a firearm.
The video presentation is intended to get people to think about the ramifications of using a firearm.
“Bottom line, you never want to shoot somebody,” Williams said.
