Legislature should pass revised concealed-carry weapons law
Allowing more people to carry concealed weapons increases the chances of confrontations becoming lethal
The last thing California needs is more people carrying concealed guns on our streets.
The Legislature should pass the revised legislation to limit permits for carrying concealed weapons and prevent people from entering many public places with firearms.
Gun safety saves lives. This we know. Allowing more Californians to carry concealed weapons increases the chances of confrontations becoming lethal. Public safety issues should be left to professionally qualified police officers. The last thing the state needs is a return to the days of the Wild West when people took matters into their own hands.
The proposed bill would ban concealed firearms at hospitals, churches, parks, public transportation and at privately owned businesses that are open to the public — unless a business posts a conspicuous sign welcoming guns. Concealed permit owners would have to be at least 21 years of age, pass background checks from law enforcement and be prohibited from consuming alcohol while carrying a weapon.
The challenge is crafting legislation that fits within the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last summer that struck down restrictive concealed-carry laws as unconstitutional. Justice Clarence Thomas' majority opinion said that states could prohibit guns in places such as schools but that the list shouldn't be overly expansive. Republicans in the Legislature and guns rights' supporters are already saying the proposed bill crosses that line and would be challenged in court.
Democrats in the California Legislature, working in conjunction with Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta, tried last year to write a bill that would strengthen the state's ability to restrict people from carrying concealed weapons. But the legislation failed by two votes when moderate Democrats in the Assembly balked at an urgency provision that would have allowed the legislation to go into effect immediately.
The revised version, SB 2, authored by state Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, largely mirrors last year's legislation. It stands in direct contrast to states such as Florida where lawmakers have introduced a plan to eliminate all restrictions on concealed weapons, allowing gun owners to carry loaded weapons throughout that state. Florida is one of 43 states with objective “shall issue” licensing regulations, mandating permits for those who meet certain requirements.
California is one of six states with “may issue” licensing regulations that were struck down by the Supreme Court ruling. California, in general, allowed sheriffs at their discretion to authorize concealed weapons permits for people working in high-risk businesses, for personal protection, for people in the judicial system and for reserve police officers. But sheriffs too often took advantage of the “may issue” regulations to hand out gun permits to political supporters and deny applications from others.
California needs to find a way to fit its legislation under the Supreme Court ruling and restrict permits to those with legitimate needs.
Gun violence is out of control in the state. The recent mass shootings in Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay and Oakland make that clear. Those tragedies weren't the result of people carrying concealed weapons. But they illustrate the need to take every step possible to reduce the proliferation of guns on our streets, including reasonable restrictions on concealed weapons.