Essential Reading

for Californians, but also for the rest of you if you want to see what can happen all too quickly to the gun laws in your neck of the woods if you let it.

That’s right, the title is HOW TO OWN A GUN & STAY OUT OF JAIL.

That is an accurate title, because, as the author (an attorney) points out:

Traditionally, anyone of legal age, and not in a group of persons prohibited from having a gun, could buy one or more guns and keep them in his or her home. Guns did not need to be registered, and no permit was required. The gun owner was restricted by a handful of laws, but was otherwise free to think about gun ownership in terms of those few laws.

Over the years, the [California] regulatory climate has reversed to the point that the gun owner must now think about those things he or she is still permitted to do, while carefully obeying the tangled web of gun laws. These laws are intended to reduce crime, but can easily trap an unsuspecting gun owner. …

Knowing and understanding the laws has become critical if you want to be a gun owner [in California] and stay out of jail.

–John Machtinger, How to Own a Gun & Stay Out of Jail, California 2007 edition [bracketed material and emphasis mine]

I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone living in California, moving to California, or thinking about doing so. Read it BEFORE you get here [that means YOU, Linoge!]. If you’re already here, own a gun and haven’t read it, GO BUY IT NOW and start reading it TODAY. It’s the best ten bucks you’ll ever spend.

Why?
Most (but not all) of California’s gun laws are under the Penal Code. In law school, I made it my business to read all of those laws and understand them, and let me tell you, it was a chore. I later worked for a man who had written large chunks of the California Penal Code (not the gun sections, more’s the pity) and preserved others from being gutted by the legislative process. That experience watching the dance of legislation taught me how easy it is for whole sections of code to be discarded or made irrelevant by the tiniest, sneakiest line in a bill — and I saw the “no prison time for criminals” crowd trying to do it all the time and coming close to succeeding. The anti-gunners are always trying too. And the existing laws are problematic enough that I’ve heard lots of gun shop owners getting the fine points wrong. Those fine points will land you in jail. Best to get them right the first time.
Here’s a look at the back cover, if you’re interested and out-of-state.

II said “out-of-state” because if you’re in California, you should either already have one or be heading out the door to get your own!

This book is updated with a new edition pretty much annually, and includes access to free web site updates for changes during the year. If you live in California and own a gun, GO BUY ONE.