Concealed Carry Law

A Concealed Carry Law is a state statute permitting individuals to carry concealed loaded guns on their person or in their close proximity. Forty-eight states have laws that allow a person to carry a concealed weapon. In a state with a concealed carry law, in order to legally carry a firearm capable of being concealed, an individual generally has to get a license or permit to do so. California Penal Code sections 12050 through 12054 provide that a sheriff of a county or the chief or other head of a municipal police department of any city or city and county may issue a license to carry a pistol, revolver, or other firearm

capable of being concealed upon the person (CCW license). In California, carrying a concealed weapon without a license or permit can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor. If there is no license, and 1) the individual has any felony or weapons conviction, or 2) the weapon is stolen, or 3) the individual is prohibited from possessing a weapon or 4) the person is an active participant in a street gang, the crime is charged as a felony.