Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson appears before the Board of Supervisors on April 25, 2023, during a presentation praising sheriff’s office volunteers. Copyrighted photo by Mike Chapman for A News Cafe.
The Shasta County Board of Supervisors recently passed a resolution in support of the Second Amendment to the Constitution. Sheriff Michael Johnson supported the passing of the resolution with edits made by county counsel as the Sheriff fully siupports the Second Amendment and will always advocate for gun rights.
In his oath of office, The Sheriff swore to uphold the US Constitution and the California
Constitution, of which section 7 of the California Constitution states “A county or city may make and enforce within its limits all local, police, sanitary, and or other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with general laws.” The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office will continue to enforce both federal and state laws as it is our duty to do so.
There has long been public discussion regarding the Second Amendment which reads ” A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The controversy within this amendment lies in the interpretation of the right to bear arms. Some believe it means the right of all to carry arms openly or concealed without restrictions. It is the opinion of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, and the courts, that Concealed Carry (CCW) permits authorize persons to bear arms without infringing on those rights. It is our belief that laws are made to govern rights and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens. There are members of our society who, if allowed to bear arms, would pose a danger to the public (violent, dangerous convicted felons, etc.). CCW regulations help ensure only those who meet the standards can lawfully do so.
The Sheriff’s Office unquestionably supports law abiding citizens to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. If you choose to do so, it is imperative that you protect yourself and know the laws. Currently, the State of California has laws prohibiting carrying a firearm in public, loaded or unloaded, regardless of whether the weapon is concealed or openly carried. Those laws include:
Crime of openly carrying an unloaded handgun (26350 PC): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=26350.&lawCo de=PEN
Crime of carrying a loaded firearm in public (25850 PC): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=25850.&lawCo de=PEN
A complete summary of California Firearms Laws can be found here:
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/cfl2021.pdf
We encourage those who wish to legally exercise their rights to apply to apply for a CCW permit through the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office process:
https://www.shastacounty.gov/sheriff/page/ccw-information
At this time, there are prominent court cases waiting to be heard regarding open carry rights. The Sheriff believes it is appropriate to wait on the outcome of those proceedings which may or may not alter current legal interpretations.
