Open Carry Ban Wins Approval in California Senate [View All]

[LeighAnn]

Source: Sacramento Bee


The state Senate has approved legislation today that would make it a crime to openly carry an unloaded handgun in public.

Assembly Bill 144, by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, targets the "open carry" movement, marked by gatherings of people displaying their firearms in public places to protest gun-control laws.

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Democratic Sen. Kevin de León said the measure would stop a practice that alarms the public and creates a "potentially dangerous" situation when law enforcement officials or members of the public are unsure whether an exposed gun is loaded or not.

"This is not the wild west," the Los Angeles Democrat said, adding, "How discomforting can it be if you walk into a restaurant, to Starbucks, to Mickey D's, wherever it is that you may go to, and all of a sudden you see someone walking around with a handgun, and you don't know, can't discern if they're a law enforcement agent."

Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/09/california-senate-open-carry-handguns-assembly-bill-144.html