Why Drinking, Driving, and Guns Don't Mix
Picture this. While out with some friends, you have a little too much to drink. You’re only a couple of miles from home, so you take the streets. But before you make it, the cops pull you over, suspecting that you’re DUI.
After conducting their investigation, the officers arrest you for DUI. Because the cops are going to impound your car, they inventory the contents first. In it, they find your unloaded handgun under the seat. And it turns out you’ve been pulled over in a school zone.
This means that you now face charges for DUI, carrying a concealed weapon, and violating Penal Code 626.9 PC California’s Gun-Free School Zone Act. Penal Code 626.9 PC California’s Gun-Free School Zone Act imposes a two to five-year state prison sentence in addition and consecutive to the penalties you receive for violating any other California firearm offense.
So what started out as a simple indiscretion…that is, the DUI…has now risen to the level of an aggravated weapons case. If you’re going to carry a gun—loaded or not—make sure you familiarize yourself with California’s many gun laws.
