We must stay vigilant in our awareness and education of lawful ownership and legally carry regardless of what our environment produces!
JLPFI welcomes each of you to this overdue blog of epic proportions! We have all been busy just trying to keep up with all the elements of life. We do our best to avoid too many distractions and we must discern how to prioritize our time, money and resources. The past 4 months have been certainly eye opening for JLPFI to see the overall concern for personal safety
has truly become a priority for so many new firearms owners as well as those who possess a concealed weapons permit. JLPFI's connection to many new firearms owners has been a educational journey of establishing lawful storage practices, family education of firearm safety and ultimately a plan for personal safety. Our concealed weapons permit holders are renewing their permits with a renewed motivation to "CARRY MORE OFTEN" due to the increase in violence in our city. New CCW applicants are sharing their concerns of developing the right defensive mindset, making sure their emotions don't overtake their lawful regard of defense and identifying those unknown threats that are upon us on a daily basis.
Our nation has experienced a perception of increased gun violence and the gun control agenda continues to wear on us from a national and state level. JLPFI often asks CCW clients what is their estimate of licensed concealed carry holder's that exist out of 40 million California residents? So the answer to that starts with a very low # recorded back in 2011. A report released by the United States Government Accountability Office in 2012, estimated a total of 35,000 CCW license holders in California as of September 1, 2011.
Since that time, California's most recent estimate of issued CCW's was 120,582 as of July 1, 2018. That is only .39% of the total adult population of California. Fresno is truly blessed to have Sheriff Mims as the #1 issuer of CCW's statewide! JLPFI would like to conduct an anonymous survey of all residents of California that carry a loaded weapon for personal defense regardless of what the law says? We know that there are plenty of bad guys carrying guns. How many millions of bad guys and people with no criminal history carry a weapon because of the fear they have regarding their life or loved ones? Is the risk greater of being assaulted or getting caught in possession of a weapon that is not lawfully licensed to carry? JLPFI recommends to MAKE IT LEGAL!
JLPFI supports lawful carry and respects those states that Constitutional Carry provisions that allow residents of those states to carry a weapon as long as they meet the minimum age requirement.
California will never consider Constitutional Carry and will remain a "May Issue" state requiring a Good Cause statement that proves the CCW applicant has a reasonable reason to apply and carry a concealed weapon. Here are some facts we all need to recognize moving forward with our entry attempt into concealed carry or continued journey of concealed carry:
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims accepts all new CCW applicants with no criminal background that simply enter "Personal Protection" for a required Good Cause statement. Our elected Sheriff supports our community by trusting those she issues a license to carry to always operate within the conditions and restrictions of the license granted.
There are several other law enforcement jurisdictions that share our Sheriffs position on a Good Cause statement, yet there are some jurisdictions that will continue to require Proof of Good Cause.
Our new Chief of Police, Paco Balderrama, who was an appointed official, requires proof of Good Cause for any city of Fresno resident to apply or renew with his issuing CCW agency. The Good Cause policy was amended on February 18th of 2021 to read as follows on the actual City of Fresno CCW application:
Good Cause is a set of circumstances that distinguishes the applicant from the mainstream and causes him or her to be placed in harm's way. Simply fearing for one's personal safety or personal protection alone is not considered Good Cause.
JLPFI supports all efforts of law enforcement to enable its citizens with the opportunity to apply for and maintain a license to concealed carry. Fresno is a large metropolitan area with significant crime rates!
Every citizen of Fresno has the right to apply for a concealed weapons permit through the City or County. The training requirements are the same, yet the City of Fresno CCW unit will require proof of Good Cause, 3 character references and the applicants neighbors will be interviewed.
Although the County of Fresno CCW unit is overwhelmed with CCW applicants, the application process is online and streamlined to accept all law abiding residents listing personal protection
as their Good Cause.
The choice is yours or your family members to decide to apply. JLPFI will gladly accept you into our safe and educational training course to start you on your CCW journey.
The Supreme Court of the United States will be reviewing a major 2nd Amendment case in October of this year regarding Good Cause for New Yorkers. The Supreme Court’s agreeing to hear arguments in a 2nd Amendment case for the first time in a decade has brought strong reactions from both sides of the gun issue. ”Using an admittedly moving target of “good reason” the authorities are essentially free to grant- or deny- permission. As a result, only a relative handful of New Yorkers have concealed carry permits.
The prohibition, however, hasn’t done anything to prevent crimes committed with firearms. Criminals, by definition, don’t care about prohibitions." (Jim Shepherd- The Gun Wire)
Let's all face what has happened to law enforcements ability to do their job. There are agencies offering signing bonuses to hire new officers, yet the risks of the job and the undue scrutiny sadly counteract the incentives to serve. The restrictions of AB-392 forced all California law enforcement agencies to rewrite their use of force policies. When such high profile media events expose "guilty on all counts" in the George Floyd case, the public perception most likely is agreeable, yet the underlying message has started to erase law and order. We must always back the blue and respect their oaths to serve by showing regard to the laws they must enforce.
JLPFI UNLIMITED.....BRING IT ON!
JLPFI was honored to direct our 2nd air rifle clinic at Break the Barriers with a great group of veterans. Our time included an overview of the German pneumatic air rifles, fundamentals and shooting rested at 10 meters into 1/2" targets. This is always an amazing event working with our veterans!
JLPFI welcomes the weapon you choose and we will make your experience positive and rewarding! We often see older weapons that are worth noting as memorable! We had a Coonan 1911 chambered in .357 on our range that was a absolute pleasure to shoot. Very little recoil for a .357 magnum, yet very accurate and fed all ammo reliably. Another range event included the sight- in of a Christensen Arms custom 6.5 Creedmoor Modern Precision Rifle topped off with a Vortex PST optic. Our work started at 25 yards and ended at 200 yards hitting a golf ball for the last shot of the day!
Range day with friends and family of Halfcocked Gunsmithing of Clovis Ca. was an awesome event that included a variety of several handguns. This training session was a private event at our eastern Fresno County range. All clients received 5 hours of required qualification time to apply for their CCW permits.
No matter what your mission is, if it involves a firearm of any kind, JLPFI offers expert instruction on all weapons. We specialize in problem solving and we will always answer the question.....
is it the weapon error, ammunition or operator error? When you leave our event, you will reflect on a very positive experience no matter what the weapon is! Call us today at (559) 349-3833.
Attention all upcoming CCW renewal clients! The Fresno Sheriffs office is running 2-3 weeks behind on processing renewal applications due to processing so many new applicants. JLPFI recommends that you complete your CCW renewal class up to 60 days in advance and submit your certificate of completion once you are within 30 days of your renewal date! Let us hear from you and don't forget to RENEW!
Where's the............??
The phone is ringing at JLPFI and the question remains..........where can I buy ammo?
We are all in this together folks and JLPFI shares your frustration to source ammunition for training, recreation and defense! Local shops are doing their best to keep some on the shelf, but demand still is greater than the supply. JLPFI always supports the local shops including Turners Outdoorsman Fresno and Halfcocked Gunsmithing in Clovis. These shops will accept online orders that you initiate to have shipped to them and you will incur a processing fee and required background check. JLPFI suggests online ammo hunting from www.ammoseek.com which is a ammunition locator that indicates in stock ammo and can be navigated by price or caliber. The one catch with ordering online is whether the source you order it from will ship it to California. Happy Hunting!
One other major challenge for many California residents is satisfying the requirement of ammunition purchasing eligibility established by the Department of Justice. This online system is still mostly unknown by most, as the California Firearms Automated Reporting System (CFARS). This is an online tracking mechanism for the Department of Justice is to monitor ammunition purchases and was launched in 2019 under the Gavin Newsome Safety for all Act to prohibit non-law abiding citizens and residents from other states from purchasing ammo.
If you are a firearms owner in California and you move to another location within the state, you are required to report your change of address to 3 agencies..... The Post Office, the DMV and the California Department of Justice. Many of JLPFI clients stocked up on ammunition long before this system and law started. Now if those people who used up that stockpile go to buy more, they must follow the check off list to pass the required background check!
Here is that check off list:
1) You must provide a REAL ID. If you have a "Federal Limits Apply" drivers license, you must provide a birth certificate or passport at the dealer where you are purchasing.
2) Your address on your drivers license must match where you live!
3) If you recently moved, you must create your own profile on the DOJ CFARS system website and enter your new address information.
4) You will be rejected on your ammo purchase if you have not purchased a weapon in the past 3-5 years. This will require you to update yourself in the CFARS system with a weapon you currently own. You must record the make, model and serial # of the weapon and time of purchase.
5) The California DOJ charges a $1.00 transaction fee no matter how much ammo you buy at 1 time. CCW holders are not exempt from this background check.
6) Importation of ammunition from another state without completing a background check is considered a misdemeanor.
Here is a link to the FAQ page of California DOJ regarding purchasing ammunition:
https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/apfaqs
In the end, the ammunition background check does nothing to stop the bad guys from buying ammo and only effects the law abiding citizen attempting to lawfully purchase ammunition. Please consider joining the California Rifle and Pistol Association to fight this redundant background check requirement along with other California gun laws that continue to erode our 2nd Amendment rights!
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