Santa Monica often uses weapons charges to punish individuals for their use of firearms. You can also face weapons charges if you utilize other weapons in ways that are legally prohibited. A weapons charges conviction can lead to high fines as well as time spent in prison or jail.
Dealing with a weapons charge can seem impossible on your own. Luckily, there are experienced weapons charges lawyers in Santa Monica who can help you defend yourself. You can work with the Simmrin Law Group to build a case and protect your future.
Santa Monica Weapons Charges Lawyers Can Help You
The laws that deal with weapons charges in California can be difficult to understand and easy to break. Individuals living in Santa Monica could be charged with:
- Carrying a Concealed Weapon
- Carrying a Loaded Weapon
- Brandishing a Weapon
- Negligent Discharge
You could also face steep penalties for the unlicensed sale of firearms. Additionally, if you were previously convicted of a crime and you are caught with a gun, you could be subject to a felon with a firearm charge.
While the penalties for weapons charges vary, they are all serious and some of them can impact you for the rest of your life. Don’t wait to begin planning your defense until it is too late. You can focus on protecting your future by contacting a criminal defense lawyer from the Santa Monica area as soon as possible.
Charges for Carrying a Weapon in Santa Monica
You can be charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit in California if you substantially hid a firearm that you knew about. You must be carrying the weapon on your person or in your vehicle for this charge to apply. Keeping a firearm in a locked container does not count as concealing it under the law.
Carrying a loaded firearm is another serious crime in Santa Monica. Generally, you are not legally permitted to carry a weapon that makes use of explosive propellants in a public place, even if the firearm cannot otherwise be operated.
A concealed carry permit will allow you to legally carry both a loaded firearm and a concealed firearm. There are several other exceptions that allow you to carry these weapons in Santa Monica. However, if they do not apply you can be charged with a felony or a misdemeanor. A conviction for carrying a concealed or loaded weapon can lead to up to 3 years in jail.
Brandishing a Weapon Charges
California defines the act of brandishing a weapon as taking out or displaying a weapon around someone else in a threatening or angry way. You can also face a charge for brandishing a weapon if you draw a weapon in a fight for a purpose other than defending yourself or another individual.
The court system considers many objects to be deadly weapons for the sake of this charge. You can be charged for brandishing items such as:
- Firearms
- Swords
- Baseball Bats
- Broken Glass
- Power Tools
Brandishing a deadly weapon can be viewed as a misdemeanor, aggravated misdemeanor, or a felony, depending on your unique circumstances. You could end up spending up to 3 years in prison if you are convicted and you could be banned from owning firearms for the rest of your life.
Negligent Discharge in Santa Monica
You can be charged with negligent discharge if you purposefully fired a gun in a way that was grossly negligent and that could have hurt someone. You can be convicted for negligent discharge even if no one gets hurt.
The court system treats negligent discharge as a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on your history. If you get convicted for discharging a firearm in a negligent way you could end up spending up to 3 years in jail and dealing with high fines.
Charges for the Unlicensed Sale of Firearms
California considers selling, leasing, or transferring firearms to be illegal unless you have a special license. While there are exceptions to this law, they are often complicated and difficult to understand without a legal professional.
The unlicensed sale of firearms is treated as a misdemeanor in Santa Monica. Each individual sale will be punished on its own. This means that you can spend up to 6 months in jail for selling a single gun. If you sell two, you might end up in jail for 1 year.
Felon With a Firearm in California
Not everyone in California is legally permitted to possess a firearm. Individuals who are part of some groups, including convicted felons and certain drug addicts, are not allowed to have a gun in Santa Monica. The felon with a firearm law is used to punish individuals who have firearms when they are not supposed to.
You can be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony under the felon with a firearm law. In the most severe circumstances, you might end up facing $10,000 in fines and up to 3 years in jail.
Gun Crimes on the Federal Level
Gun crime charges are generally handled more severely at the federal level. The federal government uses charges related to the possession or sale of firearms. Federal gun crime charges can also apply if a gun is used while you are committing another felony.
Federal gun crime charges often result in very high fines and time in prison. You can get help defending yourself from these charges from an experienced weapons charges lawyer.
Get a Santa Monica Weapons Charges Lawyer on Your Side
Both state and federal weapons charges can change the rest of your life for the worse. The weapons charges lawyers at the Simmrin Law Group understand what is at stake. We have experience and a record of courtroom success. Find out how we can help you by contacting us right away for a FREE consultation.
Get started on your legal defense today by calling us at (310) 896-2723.