Monday, October 10, 2011

California Gov. Enacts Ban on Open Handgun Carrying

If you were at the Second Amendment Rally in Frankfort this weekend, you heard a former resident of the United Kingdom who was also a policeman there. He told about the steady encroachment of laws and regulations there during his lifetime which has resulted in a nearly total ban on firearms in Great Britain and most of the Commonwealth nations. His message was, "Great Britain's laws are headed to the United States."
Most of us would say, "Look at the recent Supreme Court decisions, and even Wisconsin has legal concealed carry now." And then we find this in the headlines this morning.

California Gov. Enacts Ban on Open Handgun Carrying
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Jerry Brown's says he has signed a measure that bans the open carrying of handguns in California.
The law, AB144, makes it a misdemeanor to carry an exposed and unloaded gun in a public place.
The governor's office made the announcement in a statement early Monday morning. Brown has been rushing to sign dozens of measures sent to him by lawmakers.
Top California law enforcement officials supported the legislation.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Brown said he had "listened to the police chiefs."
Supporters say the only person who knows whether the gun is loaded is the person carrying the gun. Opponents say the bill is one of many assaults on the public's Second Amendment rights.
Given the difficulty of getting a concealed carry permit in most California jurisdictions, this is approaching a de facto ban on handguns for most California residents. I expect the Supreme Court will have to decide if this is a "reasonable regulation" as mentioned in Heller.