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By Edward Henderson | California Black Media
It is taking so long to acquire licenses for concealed carry guns in California that some Black and Latino state residents are beginning to suspect the delays are rooted in racial bias or political foot-dragging.
The average wait time for a concealed carry gun license in California can be up to six months or more. This is a significantly longer wait compared to other states that may process licenses within timeframes that span a week to a few months.
Julio Amayo, who works for Los Angeles County training canines, recently applied for a license and was told there would be a 16-to-20 month wait just for the initial interview to see if he qualifies for the license.
“It’s a protection thing. I grew up in South Central Los Angeles back in the ‘90s. It was not uncommon to just go to sleep with gunfire, nightly, or have a helicopter circle your house if something was going on in the neighborhood,” Amayo said. “It’s just a safety thing for me. If these people are walking around with guns and are able to use them for whatever reason, I should be legally able to carry it to protect myself and my family.”
Amayo is not alone.
Black Californians who spoke with California Black Media (CBM) pointed out that some of California’s gun laws are rooted in racism and a fear of Black residents owning firearms. It is well documented that the Mulford Act, grew out of reactions to the Black Panthers in Oakland openly carrying firearms during the 1960s. They are hoping that some of those historical racial biases do not still exist in state policymaking.
They also point out that California’s Democratic state leadership strongly supports restrictions on gun ownership. Therefore, they say, there may not be any incentives built into the state’s bureaucracy to speed up the processing of gun permits.
The California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) and The California Department of Justice (DOJ) are the two agencies in the state that process gun permits. The BSIS has noted that there are a number of reasons for delays, including incomplete or inaccurate applications, federal processing delays, and incorrect fees, among others.
California Black Media reached out to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to inquire about average wait times but, as of press time, the department had not responded.
In 2022, there was a surge in new gun applications after a Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision determined that New York State’s requirement to demonstrate ‘proper cause’ before obtaining a permit to carry a concealed weapon in most public places was unconstitutional. That decision overturned similar, long-standing gun control laws in California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta both expressed their disappointment with the Court’s decision, prompting counter measures by the state that critics say may be prolonging the permit issuing process.
“The fact is, individuals who are not law-abiding, responsible citizens simply shouldn’t possess firearms — and they especially shouldn’t be allowed to carry a concealed weapon in public,” said Bonta in a release following the SCOTUS’s decision. “When a gun is placed in the wrong hands, it is deadly. The Second Amendment is not a regulatory straitjacket. We must protect our communities.”
Newsom said gun control laws in California are working.
“Only in America do we see the kind of carnage and chaos of gun violence that destroys our communities and our sense of safety and belonging,” said Newsom. “America is number 1 in gun ownership, and we far surpass every developed nation on Earth in gun deaths – it’s not complicated. In California, we’ve passed common sense gun safety laws and they work: we have a 37% lower gun death rate than the national average.”
After the SCOTUS decision, Senate Bill 2 (SB 2) replaced California’s ‘good cause’ gun control requirements by expanding where concealed firearms are prohibited. It also increased minimum training from 8 to 16+ hours and requires applicants to have ‘good moral character’, which critics say is a vague prerequisite that is subject to the discretion of authorities.
“When there are critical delays accessing a constitutional right, especially around the right to defend oneself and family, you do have to wonder about the impact it’s having on underserved communities and populations,” said gun owner Micah Grant.
“What we definitely don’t want is a system where only the connected and elite can have added assurances and those without are left only to hope,” continued Grant, who is also chair of the board of trustees of CBM.
Craig DeLuz, owner of 2A News and a gun enthusiast for over 10 years, believes that delays in gun processing are having a critical impact on Black and other minority families, considering police response times in certain disadvantaged areas where Black communities are disproportionately located.
“I need to be my own first line of defense. You’re seeing that more and more. You’re seeing even people who weren’t averse to firearms being more proactive in engaging in buying firearms and getting firearms training because they are recognizing the need for self-defense,” said DeLuz.
