The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office approved a resident’s application to carry a concealed weapon, marking the first such approval since the Supreme Court‘s landmark Second Amendment decision last summer.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office approved a resident’s application to carry a concealed weapon, which is known as a CCW permit. That’s due to a June Supreme Court decision against states with strict gun laws forcing residents to show a “good cause” for self-defense in order to obtain permits for hidden firearms.
“We can confirm we did approve our first CCW permit Friday,” Tara Moriarty, a department spokeswoman, told the San Francisco Chronicle, adding that it was the first of such decisions since the high court decision.
SUPREME COURT’S ALITO AND THOMAS WARN NEW GUN CONTROL LAW RAISES ‘SERIOUS’ 2A QUESTIONS
The applicant is Benjamin Zheng, who works at an automobile body shop in the Tenderloin, a neighborhood in San Francisco he said has changed in recent years due to open drug use and dealings that made him feel unsafe.
“It’s just that enhanced level of security,” he told the outlet. “I was never a gun guy … but it’s getting alarming. Drug dealers moved up on my block now. I never saw that until recently.”
San Francisco has for decades granted minimal CCWs due to its existing regime requirements. In 1995, the city granted just 13 concealed-carry permits, according to records seen by the San Francisco Chronicle. The list included people in high-profile occupations, such as three superior court judges, a retired Army general, and several attorneys and investigators.
Following the high court’s decision in New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the sheriff’s office received dozens of applications, with some raising concerns about local officials moving too slowly to make approvals.
California Rifle and Pistol Association attorney Kostas Moros told the Washington Examiner that the organization is “pleased” with Zheng’s CCW approval, saying the city “has taken this important first step in finally honoring the right to carry.”
“Unfortunately, it took seven months since the Bruen decision for the first permit to be approved, and countless other applicants are still waiting,” Moros said, adding that California law requires permit application processing within 90 days, and “San Francisco is failing to meet that requirement.”
“We intend to keep up the pressure on the county until all law-abiding applicants can get permits issued within a reasonable time frame,” Moros said.
Notably, while Zheng has been approved, he has not been issued a permit and must complete additional department training before receiving the permit. Typical permit seekers in San Francisco are required to undergo a psychological evaluation as well as firearms safety and qualification training courses.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
City and state Democrats are poised to intervene amid rising CCW requests by introducing legislation to increase the list of “sensitive areas” where residents can’t carry guns, even with a CCW permit. City Supervisor Catherine Stefani told the San Francisco Chronicle that she plans to introduce such legislation, while a similar statewide bill pushed by Democrats failed to pass in August and will likely be retried again this year.
The Washington Examiner contacted the San Francisco Police Department for a response.
