Going back to my first blog, “California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the U.S.” Below is what a law abiding citizen would have to go through in order to purchase and long gun or a handgun.
All firearms purchases and transfers, including private party transactions and sales at gun shows, must be made through a licensed dealer under the Dealer Record of Sale (DROS) process. California imposes a 10-day waiting period before a firearm can be released to a buyer or transferee. A person must be at least 18 years of age to purchase a rifle or shotgun. To buy a handgun, a person must be at least 21 years of age, and either 1) possess an Hunter Safety Certificate (HSC) plus successfully complete a safety demonstration with the handgun being purchased or 2) qualify for an HSC exemption. People who qualify for the exemption are law enforcement officers. The safety demonstration would include the purchaser to show the licensed dealer he/she knows how to operate the gun. Essentially, does the purchaser know how to put the safety on etc? A transferee is considered a person who owns a gun and would like to transfer the weapon to someone else.
As part of the DROS process, the buyer must present "clear evidence of identity and age" which is defined as a valid, non-expired California Driver's License or Identification Card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. A military identification accompanied by permanent duty station orders indicating a posting in California is also acceptable.
If the buyer is not a U.S. Citizen, then he or she is required to demonstrate that he or she is legally within the United States by providing to the firearms dealer with documentation that contains his/her Alien Registration Number or I-94 Number.
Purchasers of handguns are also required to provide proof of California residency, such as a utility bill, residential lease, property deed, or government-issued identification (other than a drivers license or other DMV-issued identification).
Now you have an understanding of what a California citizen would have to go through in order to purchase a gun. Do you still feel we need more gun laws here in California? No matter how many gun laws we enact criminals are still going to get their hands on them, which is why they are referred to as “criminals.” The only people who are impaired or obstructed from owning or possessing firearms because of gun laws are the law-abiding folks. The bad news is the unarmed and law-abiding folks are usually the victims of criminals.
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Interesting information about the process for purchasing guns. I do believe however that stricter gun laws need to be implemented for purchasing guns as the number of gun-related crimes is still increasing. The process that you have indicated above doesn't appear to be a rigid process as all individuals need to do is provide proof of residency, some form of legal identification; possess a Hunter Safety Certificate, they can take a practice quiz on-line for free and a 4-hour exam to obtain the certificate; demonstrating their ability to use safety features is minimal for those familiar with a gun or even those new owners can easily learn to use these features; and the waiting period is not long enough to purchase guns. I just don't see how these elements pose a huge setback or deterrent to those individuals seeking to purchase guns. I do believe as you have stated that no matter how many laws are in place the criminals will still get their hands on guns. Therefore, I believe we should focus attention also on illegal guns and place emphasis on getting them off the streets.
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