“Gov. Jerry Brown announced early Monday that he had outlawed the open carrying of handguns in public in California, a controversial practice that top law enforcement officials had denounced as dangerous.” The latimes.com would say that, wouldn’t they? “Clearing his desk of final bills sent to him by the Legislature, Brown signed the ban into law after it was backed by Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and other law enforcement officials throughout the state. ‘I listened to the California police chiefs,’ Brown said in a statement.” Well, that’s alright then. And rest assured that the cops’ opposition had noting to do with reserving the right to use lethal force for the State . . .
Beck and other top cops were concerned that the open toting of guns wastes officers’ time responding to calls about armed “suspects” and can lead accidentally to violent confrontation.
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), author of the ban, and his supporters said California is no longer the wild west, where citizens had to carry six-shooters on their hips for protection.
“The bottom line is the streets will be safer for law enforcement and families,” Portantino said.
We anxiously await the statistical verification of that fact. Now that thousands of open carry advocates will no longer be able to carry their UNLOADED guns, we should see a dip in California’s crime rate and fewer cop shootings. Meanwhile gird yourself for the gloat:
“This finally puts an end to the dangerous and intimidating practice of carrying openly displayed guns in public,” said Brian Malte, director of state legislation for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “California families will now be able to take their families to the park or out to eat without the worry of getting shot by some untrained, unscreened, self-appointed vigilante.”