Toting Loaded Gun in a Car Is Against Law

Unless you can prove you are going hunting, heading for a shooting range--or are a zoo keeper--you cannot legally carry a loaded gun in your car while driving in California.

With those few exceptions, it is a misdemeanor under state law for any civilian to carry a handgun, rifle or shotgun anywhere in his or her car unless it is unloaded and kept either in the trunk or plainly visible on the back seat, according to John R. Wilson, a Los Angeles deputy city attorney.

If you do otherwise, you face a possible six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if stopped by a police officer. A second conviction carries a maximum sentence of one year.

‘Ignorant of the Law’

“There is no question that people are ignorant of the law on this particular subject. A lot think it’s OK to simply carry around in the car a fully loaded concealed weapon for protection,” said Wilson, who routinely prosecutes individuals accused of carrying guns in the family car.

He estimated that his office, one of seven city attorney branches in Los Angeles, receives about six cases each day in which motorists have been arrested for driving with guns.

Concerned about what they contend is the increasing number of firearms on the street, local law enforcement officials for years have proposed changing from a misdemeanor to a felony all violations of concealed weapons laws, including those involving motorists. Their efforts to change the law, however, have fallen short in Sacramento.

Many Carry Weapons

While there are no specific figures to indicate the number of drivers who have been arrested for illegally carrying a gun, some veteran Los Angeles street cops believe that the ratio of local motorists who carry offensive weapons, from switch-blade knives to submachine guns, may be as large as one in five, Wilson noted.

What can be said with certainty is that last year, 82,968 handguns were legally sold in Los Angeles County. In the same year, Los Angeles police and sheriff’s deputies seized 15,820 guns during various arrests.