1917 Cal. Stat. 221-25

Section 1. Every person who manufactures or causes to be manufactured, or leases, or keeps for sale, or offers, or gives, or otherwise disposes of any instrument or weapon of the kind commonly known as a blackjack, slungshot, billy, sandclub, sandbag, bludgeon, or metal knuckles, a dirk or a dagger, to any person within this state is guilty of a misdemeanor, and if he has been previously convicted of a crime made punishable by this section, he is guilty of a felony. Sec. 2. Every person who possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind commonly known as a blackjack, slungshot, billy, sandclub, sandbag, bludgeon, metal knuckles, bomb or bombshells, or who carries a dirk or a dagger, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and if he has been convicted previously of any felony or of a crime made punishable by this act, he is guilty of a felony. Sec. 3. Every person who carries in any city, city and county, town or municipal corporation of this state any pistol, revolver, or other firearm concealed upon his person, without having a license to carry such firearm as hereinafter provided in section six of this act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and if he has been convicted previously of any felony, or of any crime made punishable by this act, he is guilty of a felony. Sec. 4. The unlawful possessing or carrying of any of the instruments, weapons or firearms enumerated in section one to section three inclusive of this act, by any person other than those authorized and empowered to carry or possess the same as hereinafter provided, is a nuisance, and such instruments, weapons or firearms are hereby declared to be nuisances, and when any of said articles shall be taken from the possession of any person the same shall be surrendered to the magistrate before whom said person shall be taken, except that in any city, city and county, town or other municipal corporation the same shall be surrendered to the head of the police force, or police department thereof. The officers to whom the same may be so surrendered, except upon certificate of a judge of a court of record, or of the district attorney of any county that the preservation thereof is necessary or proper to the ends of justice, shall proceed at such time or times as he deems proper, and at least once in each year to destroy or cause to be destroyed such instruments, weapons or other firearms in such manner and to such extent that the same shall be and become wholly and entirely ineffective and useless for the purpose for which it was manufactured. Sec. 5. Any person who attempts to use, or who with intent to use the same unlawfully against another, carries or possesses a dagger, dirk, dangerous knife, razor, stiletto, or any loaded pistol, revolver or other firearm, or any instrument or weapon commonly known as a blackjack, slungshot, billy, sandclub, sandbag, metal knuckles, bomb, or bombshell or any other dangerous or deadly instrument or weapon, is guilty of a felony. The carrying or possession of any of the weapons specified in this section, by any person while committing, or attempting or threatening to commit a felony, or breach of the peace, or any act of violence against the person or property of another, shall be presumptive evidence of carrying or possessing such weapon with intent to use the same in violation of this section. Sec. 6. It shall be lawful for the board of police commissioners, chief of police, city marshal, town marshal, or other head of the police department of any city, city and county, town, or other municipal corporation of this state, upon proof before said board, chief, marshal or head that the person applying therefor is of good moral character, and that good cause exists for the issuance thereof, to issue to such person a license to carry concealed a pistol, revolver or other firearm; provided, however, that the application to carry concealed such firearm shall be filed in writing and shall state the name and residence of the applicant, the nature of applicant's occupation, the business address of applicant, the nature of the weapon sought to be carried and the reason for the filing of the application to carry the same. Sec. 7. Every person in the business of selling, leasing or otherwise transferring a pistol, revolver or other firearm, of a size capable of being concealed upon the person, whether such seller, lensor or transferrer is a retail dealer, pawnbroker or otherwise, except as hereinafter provided, shall keep a register in which shall be entered the time of sale, the date of sale, the name of the salesman making the sale, the place where sold, the make, model, manufacturer's number, caliber or other marks of identification on such pistol, revolver or other firearm. Such register shall be prepared by and obtained from the state printer and shall be furnished by the state printer to said dealers on application at a cost of three dollars per one hundred leaves in duplicate and shall be in the form hereinafter provided. The purchaser of any firearm, capable of being concealed upon the person shall sign, and the dealer shall require him to sign his name and affix his address to said register in duplicate and the salesman shall affix his signature in duplicate as a witness to the signatures of the purchaser. Any person signing a fictitious name or address is guilty of a misdemeanor. The duplicate sheet of such register shall on the evening of the day of sale, be placed in the mail, postage prepaid and properly addressed to the board of police commissioners, chief of police, city marshal, town marshal or other head of the police department of the city, city and county, town or other municipal corporation wherein the sale was made; provided, that where the sale is made in a district where there is no municipal police department, said duplicate sheet shall be mailed to the county clerk of the county wherein the sale is made. A violation of any of the provisions of this section by any person engaged in the business of selling, leasing or otherwise transferring such firearms is a misdemeanor. This section shall not apply to wholesale dealers in their business intercourse with retail dealers, nor to wholesale or retail dealers in the regular or ordinary transportation of unloaded firearms, as merchandise by mail, express or other mode of shipment, to points outside of the city, city and county, town or municipal corporation wherein they are situated. The register provided for in this act shall be substantially in the following form: [Form] Sec. 8. Nothing in this act shall be construed to apply to sheriffs, constables, marshals, policemen or other duly appointed peace officers, nor to any person summoned by any such officers to assist in making arrest or preserving the peace while said person so summoned is actually engaged in assisting such officer; nor to duly authorized military or civil organizations while parading nor to the members thereof when going to and from the places of meeting of their respective organizations; nor to the possession or transportation by any merchant of unloaded firearms as merchandise; nor to bona fide members of any club or organization now existing or hereinafter organized, for the purpose of practicing shooting at targets upon established target ranges, whether public or private, while such members are using any of the firearms referred to in this act upon or in such target ranges, or while going to and from such ranges. Sec. 9. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this act is for any reason held to be unconstitutional such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this act. The legislature hereby declares that it would have passed this act and each section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared unconstitutional.