License to Carry
In case you didn’t know, Oakland has an Arts Czar. And this newly-appointed Arts Czar has a concealed weapons permit; in fact, the only concealed weapons permit issued by the new Oakland police chief. Let me explain. The Arts Czar is longtime sidekick and unofficial bodyguard of Jerry Brown. Brown was the governor of California — Governor Moonbeam — and is now the mayor of Oakland. The pistol-packin’ pal decided to carry a weapon when he and Brown were in a courtroom for the sentencing of an drug lord and it struck him that the Mayor need needed more protection.
There’s a certain irony in this story -- that the ever-peace-waging Brown would consent to a companion being armed. One would have thought that his Zen philosophy would have plied more spiritual paths to security. Of course, we are talking Oakland, so some would say, Enough said.
Our society is really weird about guns. In California, with some of the strictest gun laws in the country, the lines are sharply drawn about ownership. The knee-jerk left says no one should have guns. The knee-jerk right says everyone should have assault weapons if they want, and even if they don’t want.
As regards concealed weapons, only a fraction of those who carry them have a license to do so. And we’re not talking otherwise criminals. Most are ordinary every day citizens who don’t feel the government has a right to know that they are carrying a gun.
In California, you can get a license to carry a concealed weapon from either the police chief of your jurisdiction or form the county sheriff. The former is usually an appointee of the city council, while voters choose the sheriff.
Sometimes, the two top cops disagree on concealed weapons permits, as is the case in Shasta County. We’ve got two outstanding people managing law enforcement here, Redding’s Chief of Police Bob Blankenship and Shasta County Sheriff Jim Pope.
Redding’s Blankenship is a unique combination of long-time veteran cop who is also an innovator. He works to get juveniles turned around, and has put cops back on the streets. Sheriff Pope is also pioneering solutions. He and his staff are exploring new forms of restorative justice.
But if you live in Redding and you want a concealed weapons permit, you don’t ask Blankenship, because he doesn’t give ‘em out. You ask Shasta County’s Pope because mostly he does.
When you think of how different are the worlds of Oakland and Redding, or the positions of the police chief and the sheriff on concealed weapons permits, you begin to appreciate the challenge of coming up with effective policy that balances our fears with our common sense. Whatever policies are arrived at, they won’t be the same for every jurisdiction.
And that’s SetonnoteS...I’m Tony Seton.
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