"SHALL" vs. "MAY" States

Los Angeles Country is nearly impossible to get a permit in unless you have poltical connections, a lot of money or a job requiring such carry. I have had a TX permit for 9 years but I cannot have one in CA because I don't meet any of the above criteria.

The key is your "just cause". Money to help elect the sheriff is one, high community profile another. Sort the carry permits by zip code (sobebody did a few years ago) and such crime-ridden slums as Beverly Hills have quite a few permits, while there is no one in South LA or Compton who is at risk or to be trusted to carry. Of course, I am being sarcastic.

The orignial gun control measures in Los Angeles and area were designed to keep minorities and the less than wealthy disarmed, and functionally the law as applied succeeds currently in this aim when it comes to the law-abiding. The gang bangers of course don't care a bit.

In some of the rural counties it definitely is shall-issue.
 
Isn't it just crazy, it is legal in one county and one inch further in distance into another country you become a criminal? Same person, same weapon....Insane!:eek:
 
Isn't it just crazy, it is legal in one county and one inch further in distance into another country you become a criminal? Same person, same weapon....Insane!
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I don't know of many places that work quite like that. If you've got a permit it's more or less legal in the whole state, except for places like NY city that don't honor any permits from the rest of the state.

However, it is pretty stupid that you can get a permit by moving to another county that's just a few feet up the road.

You know what else is stupid? There are sections of NY that allow rifle hunting for deer and sections that don't. It's generally along county lines. Just about 5 miles from me is one of the lines. You could literally step back and forth over the line and be legal... illegal.... legal.... illegal... back and forth. Now THAT'S stupid.
 
Is Florida unique in that we go through the State division of licensing to get our permits and the local Counties/Sheriffs/Chiefs/Judges have no say in the matter? It seems that in the NE, it's up to the local jurisdiction (be it City or County) as to if they issue the permit or not. How does that apply if you (for example) get a permit in one county in NY and then travel to another county? Is the permit still valid or do you stop being legal when you leave the jurisdiction where it was issued?

Here (FL) you get the required training, fill out the forms, mail them with a check to the fellows in Tallahassee and wait. I complain about FL sometimes, but reading what some of the other states go through, I think I'll stay right here.
 
However, without this thread turning into a discourse of ideological conflict, has any member run into difficulties in securing CCW permits in a MAY State? Have you ever been denied a permit unjustly?... or experienced unnecessary hassles in applying for or obtaining a CCW permit?... in a State that MAY or may not be obligated to follow the clear intent of the Second Amendment?
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I have. I used to live in Cedar Rapids Iowa, Linn County. I filled out the paperwork and attempted to sign up for the range portion at the local Izaak Walton range. The Sheriff's office returned my permit application along with a letter that specifically indicated that permits would not be issued without showing critical need. Since my need didn't rise to the level of taped phone calls or threating letters, I could not qualify for the permit in that county.

The Sheriff in a county to the north (blackhawk) did issue on a shall issue basis. Who was Sheriff of the county you lived in determined whether you could get a permit or not. I don't think it has changed much in the last decade either.

A permit issued in Iowa is good for the whole state, not just your county.
 
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Local sheriff having the say is a direct out come of the old

Jim Crow laws...

In a previous post some one mentions 'liberal gun law states'... and I agree true liberals (which I consider myself) would not limit gun ownership or where and when a citizen could carry same. In fact, since I have been on this list for over 4 years I've learned that the assumption that one is a felon and they should not have the right to own a gun are not the same. Our political climate in this country is making more and more citizens 'convicted felons' we are continuing to create more and more second class citizens with second class rights... because a majority of these folks are from the poorer classes and often a minority this goes unheeded because money is power.

And that is what concealed carry permits are about too... if you can afford the time and money to get a permit then you can usually get one in a lot of states. If you are poor, working two jobs and struggling to feed your family then you probably don't have time or the extra cash to get the permit. Even more so, in the 'may issue' states if you have enough money then you can create the political clout to influence the sheriff to issue you a permit... it's just takes more money than in a 'shall issue' state.
 
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