Multi Caliber Weapons on CCW.

[Poogsdad]

Many of you know I recently received a Sig Sauer P226 as a gift from my wife. Though I have shot about 60 rounds through it I have not yet had the time to give it a proper range assessment.

I fully intend to place this weapon on my CCW when I have completed range and reliability testing in the future. When I do so it is my desire to have it listed as .40 S&W/.357 Sig/9mm on the same line on my CCW, unfortunately, initial input from the Humboldt County CCW folks indicates this is not allowed.

Fortunately most jurisdictions hold with “1 Serial Number = 1 Weapon” rule regardless of how many calibers the particular weapon is capable of safely chambering and shooting. Initial inputs I have received regarding this from the Humboldt County CCW folks is that if the weapon is capable of chambering and safely shooting different calibers it must be listed individually in each caliber, E.G.:

Manufacturer: Serial Number: Caliber: Model:

Sig Sauer 1234567 .40 S&W Auto
Sig Sauer Same SN .357 Sig Auto
Sig Sauer Same SN 9MM Auto

Since Humboldt County only allows 3 weapons on a CCW this means that all other weapons must be removed in order to add the weapon listed above. This effectively limits me to only 1 physical firearm allowed for CCW purposes.

I also asked about listing as only 1 caliber and carrying the weapon CCW exclusively in that caliber. There was a great deal of uncertainty on their part, but their initial response was that because I was aware the weapon could be chambered in multiple calibers I was required to list the weapon separately, as 3 separate weapons in each caliber, on the CCW. The possibility that I could also purchase a .22 Caliber conversion kit for the same gun was not mentioned, but that would then add a 4th caliber the weapon would need to be listed as on the CCW, given the initial input I received from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

Obviously, I disagree with the interpretation of the Humboldt County CCW folks regarding this and have asked them to research this further to determine if this interpretation is in fact in accordance with the spirit of Sheriff Philp’s CCW policy.

When I mentioned that the interpretations of other jurisdictions regarding multiple caliber weapons were different than theirs, they appeared to be quite surprised. They also appeared to be surprised that other jurisdictions did not administer their CCW Programs the same way they did the Humboldt County CCW Program. I was surprised at their apparent lack of knowledge regarding CCW Processes in other counties. I was less surprised at their apparent lack of understanding regarding the newer firearms and the technologies that allow easy switching from one caliber to another for certain types of firearms.

The information I shared with them did appear to concern them because of the possible impact this may have on decisions they have already made. Specifically, I mentioned that .40 Caliber Glocks were among the most popular and common weapons on CCWs because they are very popular with LEOs in Humboldt County, to which they agreed. When I mentioned that most of these .40 caliber Glocks were also .357 Sig Glocks with the change of a barrel, a light bulb appeared to go off in their heads. Given the argument they presented to me this meant they needed to relook at there own procedures. If they chose to stand by the argument they presented, the potential impact on them could be extreme since so many CCW holders in Humboldt County have 3 weapons on their CCW.

They did say they would research this matter and would get back with me regarding this. The CCW folks at the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office have always been very friendly, professional, and supportive of Humboldt County Citizens regarding CCW. They have always been very customer focused and gone out of their way to make the process as easy on the applicants as possible while staying within State DOJ mandated guidelines. I have no reason to believe they will not research this further or that they will not get back with me in the future regarding it. I also offered to help them with this research in any way I could.

In spite of the possible changes that may evolve from this, I am certain that Humboldt County will continue to be one of the most CCW friendly counties in California. Sheriff Philp has demonstrated that he does trust law abiding citizens and is well aware of the positive contributions legally armed law abiding citizens have on public safety.

I will post their response here or update the Humboldt County FAQ as appropriate when that occurs.

Any insights or contributions any of you may have regarding how Multi Caliber Weapons are listed or viewed by your issuing authorities will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Poogsdad

[JB-Norcal]

It sure is refreshing to see things brought up and discussed in an orderly fashion. Hopefully this can be rectified to a logical end. It's sad to think that clarifications like this usually come from litigation.
Thanks Poog, I'm a multiple barrel guy too, but never pushed the point here locally in Shasta. Maybe I will to see where it gets me.

[Poogsdad]

Originally Posted by JB-Norcal

It sure is refreshing to see things brought up and discussed in an orderly fashion. Hopefully this can be rectified to a logical end. It's sad to think that clarifications like this usually come from litigation.
Thanks Poog, I'm a multiple barrel guy too, but never pushed the point here locally in Shasta. Maybe I will to see where it gets me.

Thanks JB-Norcal.

Obviously, I was quite surprised at the interpretation presented to me by the Humboldt County CCW Folks. In my past experiences with them, they have always been very knowledgable and supportive.

They have not responded to me yet, however, I want to give them time to do adequate research before I followup with them.

You have a good Sheriff in Shasta County. I would find it difficult to believe such an interpretation as Humboldt County has regarding multiple caliber weapons would be consistent with the spirit of his CCW Policy.

Thanks again,

Poogsdad

[Poogsdad]

On Thursday, 3 Dec 09, I recieved a call from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. Effective earlier that day a new policy regarding the listing of multi-caliber weapons was approved by Sheriff Philp. It was formally documented and was being dessiminated to all personnel associated with the CCW Program.

All weapons capable of chambering different calibers via a barrel or top end change will now be listed on a single line of the permit regardless of the number of calibers the weapon is capable of safely chambering.

The weapon must be qualified with in each caliber separately with separate qualification documentation for each caliber. If you qualify with only one caliber initially, only that caliber will be reflected on your permit. When you qualify with an additional caliber in the same weapon and bring in the documentation, they will add that caliber to your permit at that time.

I consider this to be a very fair and realistic change to the previous interpretation. I appreciate the actions of Sheriff Gary Philp and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office in addressing this as quickly and as professionally as they did.

Humboldt County continues to be one of the most CCW friendly counties in California. Sheriff Gary Philp continues to demonstrate that he does trust law abiding citizens and is well aware of the positive contributions legally armed law abiding citizens have on public safety.

Thanks,

Poogsdad