by Vince Ward, published on August 28, 2009 at 4:07PM
At their meeting August 25, 2009, all members of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a resolution asking "that the duly elected or appointed El Dorado County Sheriff adopt and maintain a fair and equitable “Shall Issue” policy for the issuance of CCW licenses." The resolution does not have the force of law, but essentially criticizes the Sheriff's recent policy of not recognizing "self protection" as "good cause" to issue a concealed weapons permit to persons otherwise qualified. The resolution focuses attention on the Sheriff's discretion to issue or deny concealed weapons permits, an issue that begins to loom large in the current race for El Dorado County Sheriff. At least two of the current seven candidates have expressed strong support for granting permits upon request to individual citizens who wish to carry a concealed weapon and can meet the qualifications for training, experience, and background. Such a policy is referred to as "Shall Issue," and is in effect in 38 other states in the United States and in many counties in California. Two states require no permit whatsoever.
The concealed weapon permit controversy is driven by two considerations. First is self-protection; in many El Dorado County areas, the Sheriff's response time is very long, and so has a limited deterrent effect on crime. Also, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which determines Federal law questions in California, recently decided that the Second Amendment right to bear arms is an individual right, as is the right to free speech or to assemble, and should not be infringed without a compelling government interest. As the experience in jurisdictions which adopt a "Shall Issue" policy is that crime diminishes when citizens can more readily obtain concealed weapons permits, the argument is that restrictive issuance policies do not serve any legitimate purpose.
See original source and comments: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/12774/El_Dorado_County_Supes_Favor_Liberal_Concealed_Weapons_Permits
