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Comment by lando2319 | Hacker News Reader

for the most part, California does not have concealed carry laws

California does have Concealed Carry laws, and residents can get Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) licenses which has to be renewed yearly.

https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/pubfaqs#4

It's very difficult to get one in SF, which is a city and a county.

It's very difficult in general compared to "anything goes" states. I found data that shows that California has granted around 121,000 concealed carry licenses as of August 2021, which is 0.31% of the population.

San Francisco (the county) issued three between 2010 and 2015.

But can you open carry?

With few exceptions, my understanding is "no".

Not from the US. What is a concealed carry law exactly and what does that mean with respect to robberies? Thieves will be able to see whether the person they are trying to rob is armed before they approach them?

Is the situation different in other states that do have concealed carry laws?

> What is a concealed carry law exactly

It means a person can get a license to carry a concealed gun on their person. Typically it requires a bit of training and a test. I live in a more free for all state, and you can get a CCW with a couple Saturdays of class and a hand gun shooting test.

In the "free for all" states judges and juries are also generally more understanding of victims rights in self-defense situations so you are less likely to be branded a murderer in a self-defense situation. In victim-hostile states and counties you have a much higher burden of proof of innocence before the law system as a victim acting in self-defense.

People will rob you and take your gun off you if they see your gun before you notice you're getting robbed. If you draw on someone pointing a gun at you you will get killed.

Some states allow you to protect property with deadly force and others do not. You have to read state law to understand the nuance.

In San Francisco you can generally take anything you want from anybody and the victim will generally get in trouble trying to stop you. You may get arrested for the crime but there is no guarantee. The police will release you soon after you are arrested, often on a signature bond with zero deposit [1]. You can rinse and repeat this process dozens of times per year because it is unlikely you will spend any significant time in jail or prison. You'll have a database record but no problem making ends meet upon release.

[1] https://www.sfdistrictattorney.org/policy/no-cash-bail/

> The police will release you soon after you are arrested, often on a signature bond with zero deposit [1]. You can rinse and repeat this process dozens of times per year because it is unlikely you will spend any significant time in jail or prison.

Sounds like what happens to the rich and well connected when they get in trouble with the law. Seems like equal justice to me.

They also aren't following people for 40 miles to bust them up and rob them.

If you think the rich and well connected are above robbing the poor or even you… I mean, I’d love to live in that world.

'Concealed carry' means that you are allowed to carry a firearm on your person, concealed from view. The typical example of this would be a pistol in a holster, in your waistband, inside of your shirt or jacket.

California doesn't allow 'open carry', which many other states do. This allows you to carry a pistol in a holster outside of your jacket/shirt so that it can be seen.

Additionally, in some states, it's legal to open carry without a permit, while concealed carry requires a permit. The vast majority of people carrying will choose not to advertise it.

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