In California, as in every other state, it is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm, but that doesn’t keep criminals from packing heat.
As explained on the website of one attorney’s office, “In the state of California, one of the consequences of being convicted of a felony is that you are prohibited from possessing a firearm. This is commonly known as the “felon with a firearm” law, codified in California Penal Code 29800 PC. “
Yet, when police in Santa Rosa recently pulled a traffic stop, they found a man and woman in possession of narcotics paraphernalia, which led to a search warrant, which resulted in the recovery of two unregistered handguns. As luck would have it, according to KRON News, the male half of this couple was driving on a suspended license and was wanted on “multiple outstanding warrants.”
The woman had an unloaded .25 ACP Colt pistol in her “personal property,” and under the hood, in the engine compartment, police found a loaded 9mm handgun.
Apparently, it is not unusual for bad guys in Santa Rosa to have guns, as confirmed by a quick check with the police department’s website. There, one finds the story of another fellow stopped by Santa Rosa police. This guy also had a couple of outstanding warrants along with suspected methamphetamine and a stolen, and unloaded, Kel Tec pistol “hidden in the steering column.” The suspect reportedly admitted to having stolen the gun.
This phenomenon isn’t confined to California. Two states away to the north, Seattle Police recently arrested a 37-year-old man and 30-year-old woman in the city’s International District. The man was a passenger in the car, which was stolen. He was carrying a handgun, which he should not have had, because he was wanted on an outstanding warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to the Eisner Gorin Attorneys website, California PC 29800 contains this language: “Any person who was convicted of a felony under the laws of the United States, California, or other states, country, or who is addicted to the use of any narcotic drug, and who owns, purchases, receives, or has possession or under custody or control any firearm is guilty of a felony crime.”
Washington’s lengthy statute, RCW 9.41.040, also makes it illegal for a convicted felon to have a gun, but in far more words.
Such police reports only confirm what gun owners and Second Amendment activists have been saying for years. Criminals do not obey gun control laws.
