ALTURAS, Calif. — Patricia Cantrall, nicknamed the "Annie Oakley of Modoc County," straps her .38 backward on her left hip. "I prefer the cross draw," said the gregarious 65-year-old county supervisor and part-time cafe waitress.
Cantrall and about 270 fellow residents of this sparsely populated corner of northeastern California routinely carry concealed handguns. When it comes to packing heat -- at least legally -- no other county in the state surpasses Modoc.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday February 11, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 1 inches; 45 words Type of Material: Correction
Modoc County -- A Jan. 13 article in Section A, and a 2004 article, said that the land that is now Modoc County did not become part of California until 1864. In fact, California's current boundaries were set by the state's first constitution in 1849 and included that land.
According to state Department of Justice statistics, about one in 29 residents here has a concealed-weapons permit. That compares with one in 800 residents for the rest of the state.
Modoc County issues almost as many permits as Los Angeles County -- which has more than 50 times more people. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has approved only 377 permits, mostly for judges, prosecutors, public defenders and retired federal agents.
Modoc County Sheriff Bruce Mix says he feels comfortable with the high number of guns because he knows most of the county's 9,400 residents.
"I pretty much know who is reliable and who is not," said Mix, 57, the head lawman and coroner here since 1988.
Besides, Mix said, he doesn't have enough deputies to adequately patrol the vast reaches of woods, desert and lava fields that cover the county's 3,944 square miles.
Mix said he believes everybody who lives in his county has a constitutional right to self-protection. But bearing arms here appears to have little to do with fear of crime or violent confrontations with humans.
Often, said Undersheriff Mark Gentry, people seek to arm themselves before venturing to large California cities. "Someone will come in," said Gentry, "and say, 'I'm going to San Diego, I need a gun.' "
Originally part of the Utah Territory, and later transferred to the Nevada Territory, Modoc was one of the last areas annexed by what is now California. It can seem as though people are still adjusting to the arrangement.
The motto of Alturas, the county seat, is "Where the West Still Lives."
Here, cowboys haven't traded in their horses for all-terrain vehicles. Many of the region's settlers were Basque sheep herders; their customs still live on in places like the Brass Rail, a family-style restaurant favored by local ranchers that serves up big hunks of lamb and carafes of red Spanish wine.
The largest newspaper serving the community comes from Twin Falls, Ore. The local cable sports network follows the Seattle Mariners.
