San Francisco Begins Issuing More Concealed Carry Permits Following 2022 Supreme Court Ruling

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday they approved the first concealed carry firearms permits following a United States Supreme Court ruling last year that overturned city gun laws, with more set to come soon.

San Francisco’s gun laws had, for decades, been among the strictest in the nation, with concealed carry permits only issued to those who were considered a “target” or likely to be attacked. Permits from others were routinely denied due to laws blocking them out of concern for public safety.

However, this all changed last year when the Supreme Court ruled in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen that gun laws law requiring applicants for concealed carry permit to show “proper cause” were unconstitutional and a violation of the second amendment. Overnight, numerous illegal gun laws were wiped away across the nation, with California and San Francisco especially rocked.

As a result, with the restrictions now gone and added heightened concerns about crime and safety, permit applications drastically rose. While the City has been slow to act on the applications due to pending legislation on more firearm limitations, the number of valid applications caught up with the city, which started approving applications late this month.

“Prior to the ruling, only someone considered to be a target, like a judge or a diamond jeweler, could have been eligible for a license,” said San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto at a press conference this week. “The significant change from the Bruen decision was that they took out the ‘good cause’ requirement for someone who is applying for a CCW license. Which basically means as long as you clear our vetting process, our background procedures, and as long as you take a safety course and demonstrate you’re responsible, you’re given an opportunity to have a license.”

“So far the city is processing 72 applications, and they expect to get nearly 100 to 200 more over the next year. Which is very different from the four we processed in the past 10 or so years.”

However, like all concealed carry permits, there will still be limitations. Concealed carry permits will still not allow holders from entering schools, government buildings, and businesses that refuse service to people with a gun. Psychological exams will also now be required for everyone applying.

Despite those limitations, as well as the long time taken to change the law, gun advocates praised the increasing number of concealed carry permits in the city.

“You won’t hear those that like guns say this too often, but good job San Francisco,” Trevor Morrison Jr., a concealed carry expert who helps with applications, told the Globe on Tuesday. “It took a Supreme Court ruling and months of work, but we’re starting to see them come on now. The city is still pretty restrictive, but you know, baby steps in the right way. They’re heading in the right way for safety and for people’s rights. Whoever says that this isn’t a good thing really doesn’t understand things like safety to be honest.”

Despite the new permits and many more in the pipeline for approval, many City Supervisors said that they will fight the easings of gun control in the city, including adding more areas where firearms would be prohibited in the future.

More permits are expected to be approved in the near future.