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-California penal code section 26500
makes it a crime-- it's a misdemeanor--
to sell, lease or transfer firearms without a license.
Now, this law applies to handguns, shotguns, revolvers,
pistols.
It does not apply to BB guns, pellet guns,
and unloaded antique guns.
There are some states where private parties are allowed
to sell guns out of their home or a newspaper ad
or on Craigslist without doing a background check.
But that's not the case in California.
Under California law, the sale of firearms,
even between private parties, must
go through a licensed dealer.
Under penal code section 26500, unlicensed sale of firearms
is a misdemeanor.
If you're convicted you could face probation, fines,
and up to six months in county jail.
But perhaps worst of all is it would give you
a criminal record.
And the fact is that prospective employers
in doing background checks, don't
like to see firearms convictions.
It makes them nervous, it makes them
wonder, why does this person have firearms?
Would they be a danger in the workplace?
It's easy to pass over those job applicants.
So, to the extent that you're charged with this crime,
you want to do everything that you
can to keep it off of your record.
That's where we come in.
And the good news is we've had a lot of success
in defending people who are charged with this.
A lot of times we find that the police used entrapment or other
illegal methods to gather their evidence.
Sometimes we find that our client really
didn't realize that what they were doing was illegal,
and they didn't think they were doing anything wrong.
Sometimes we find that our client falls
into one of the exceptions, so that a license is not required.
In any event, if you're in this situation,
we invite you to call us here at Shouse Law Group.
Tell us your story.
We'll see what we can do to get the charges reduced
or dismissed.