By Kristine Magnuson, SF Public Press
A bill to prohibit people from openly carrying unloaded handguns in California, AB 144, heads for a vote in the state Senate soon, following its passage in May by the state Assembly and approval by the Senate Public Safety Committee. The bill, co-authored by assemblymen Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada, Flintridge) and Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) is again going before the Senate for a vote.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a steep fine, to openly carry an unloaded handgun “on one’s person or in a vehicle.”
The California Police Chiefs Association, the Police Officers Research Association of California and other advocates for AB 144 contend that a loophole in the current concealed gun law creates a nuisance for the public and for police.
To protest restrictions on carrying a concealed firearm, a number of gun proponents identifying with the national “open carry” movement publicly carry or display unloaded handguns on their belts and sometimes display ammunition.
“Existing law prohibits carrying a concealed weapon, loaded or unloaded, unless granted a permit to do so,” according to the California Police Chiefs Association.