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Home / Neighborhood / San Gabriel Valley / Pasadena Independent / SENATE BACKS PORTANTINO’S BILL TO BAN “OPEN CARRY”

SENATE BACKS PORTANTINO’S BILL TO BAN “OPEN CARRY”

by Terry Miller
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Sacramento – Assemblymember Anthony Portantino’s groundbreaking legislation (AB 144) making it illegal to carry an unloaded gun in public was approved late today by the State Senate (vote of 21 to 18), adding to the growing chorus of public officials and law enforcement groups calling for a ban on “open carry” in public.
“I am very pleased that my fellow legislators agree this is a sensible gun ban that closes a loophole in the law and I am hopeful that Governor Brown agrees,” stated Assemblymember Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge). “Open Carry puts law enforcement and families at risk on Main Street, California. It wastes law enforcement time and attention dealing with unnecessary 911 calls about gun-toting men and women in coffee shops, restaurants and malls. Pedestrians, families, and those who open carry should not have to be put into these tense situations.”

AB 144 makes it a crime to openly carry an unloaded handgun in any public place or street. Violations are a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $1000. There are a number of exemptions for law enforcement personnel and hunters as well as others carrying unloaded weapons under specified licensed circumstances.

California is one of many states that allow so-called “open carry” which gives gun owners the right to display weapons, though in California those guns must be unloaded. Carrying loaded firearms in public is already against the law in California.

The dispute came to a head last year when gun enthusiasts began showing up in coffee shops and public beaches with unloaded guns strapped to their hips. Similar legislation was introduced in 2010 but did not make it to the Governor’s desk because of a miscue at the end of the session. Portantino took up the cause this year and worked with law enforcement to re-introduce the “open carry” ban.

AB 144 is supported by several law enforcement groups including PORAC – the Police Officers Research Association of California, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and the California Police Chiefs Association.

“Average Californians understand police officers displaying loaded weapons, they understand hunters, and they even understand those folks who are legally licensed to a carry a weapon. What they don’t want is a proliferation of public displays of weapons for no purpose. It’s imperative that the public safety of our families and our neighbors’ families is protected. It only takes a few seconds to load and fire. This bill is a sensible public safety protection that will make such an occurrence less likely in our neighborhoods,” concluded Portantino.

AB 144 now goes back to the Assembly for what’s known as “concurrence” – a technicality that allows for approval of changes in language.

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