Firearms Charges
From helping you understand the charges against you to strategizing a defense plan, we will be with you every step of the way.
How We Defend Firearms Charges Cases
California firearms law is among the strictest in the nation. A single allegation involving possession, brandishing, or use of a firearm can carry mandatory minimums, sentencing enhancements, and a permanent loss of your Second Amendment rights.
At Lapine Law we begin every firearms case by dismantling the State's evidence — chain of custody, search and seizure, registration records, and witness reliability all come under the microscope.
From unlawful possession (PC 25400) to assault with a firearm (PC 245(a)(2)) and felon-in-possession charges (PC 29800), we build a record-by-record defense designed to negotiate down — or beat — the charges entirely.
Many firearm cases turn on a single search-and-seizure issue. A traffic stop without articulable suspicion, a vehicle search without consent or probable cause, or a warrant that overreaches its scope can render the firearm inadmissible and collapse the prosecution's case.
We also recognize that firearm charges often intersect with self-defense law, mental-health holds (5150), and gang allegations. Each layer changes the strategy — and the consequences of mishandling any one of them.
What's at Stake
- ▸PC 25400 (carrying concealed): up to 1 year in jail (misdemeanor) or 16 months–3 years (felony)
- ▸PC 29800 (felon in possession): 16 months, 2, or 3 years in state prison
- ▸PC 12022.53 (10-20-life enhancement): 10, 20, or 25-to-life added to the underlying felony
- ▸PC 626.9 (gun-free school zone): 2, 3, or 5 years in state prison
- ▸Lifetime loss of firearm rights under both state and federal law
How We Fight Back
- Unlawful search and seizure (Fourth Amendment suppression)
- Lack of knowledge or constructive possession
- Valid registration, permit, or transport exception
- Self-defense or defense of another (PC 197)
- Momentary or transitory possession for safety purposes
- Improper Miranda advisement during custodial interrogation
How Your Case Will Be Handled
We meet — in person, by phone, or by video — to hear your side, review every document, and identify the prosecution's theory before it solidifies.
We send our own investigators after the witnesses, the surveillance, the bodycam, and the records the State would rather you never see.
Motions to suppress, Pitchess motions, expert retention, and negotiation — every lever pulled before a jury is ever empaneled.
Dismissal, reduction, diversion, or a trial verdict — we prepare every case as if it will be tried, because the State takes notice when a defense lawyer means it.
Firearms Charges FAQs
Every Hour Matters in a Firearms Charges Case.
Speak directly with Andrei Lapine. Free, confidential, and available 24/7 for urgent matters.
Related Defense Areas
Charges often overlap. If your case involves more than firearms charges, we defend these related matters across California.
