Quote:
Originally Posted by
ChicksterJo 
That is why we are considering a move to Tennessee sometime beginning next year. We actually really like it there and we are trying to buy some land. When we move to an apartment here I will be able to get a handgun.....
zzGypsy, thank you for the info about the public property/private property in CA. It seems ludicrous that they would include your front yard as part of your tax assessment but they will not consider it "yours" when it comes to firearms.
Not that I would be shooting my firearms in the front yard (I have plenty neighbors around here) but still, it should be your private property under all circumstances.
see there's the stupid part... he didn't have to fire it, draw it, brandish it, threaten anyone with it... all he did was have it in his front yard. and because his house is inside a prohibited zone, he's a felon. and the "having it both ways" treatment of property is outrageous, but apparently well supported in case law and written legislation. it's the same reasoning that's used in many municipalities that says you have to have a fence around your pool, inside your own backyard, or you've created a public hazard. it's just wrong.
the rules are complicated, especially so in CA. the guy I know would have been fine had he not stepped out his front door... if he'd gone from his kitchen into the garage directly, no problem. he could have stood inside his garage, with the door up, so long as he didn't cross the threshold onto his own driveway. it's maddening.
and let's not even get into what happens if you actually *discharge* a firearm in your own back yard. even in many rural areas THAT will get you a visit from the SWAT team as well as the felony arrest.
should you care to find out more about the CA rules and regs, let me know, I'll send you some links. after a small incident involving a .22, a gopher, two black helicopters, five guys in flac jackets, and several laywers, I've become something of an expert.
