Suppose you”re walking down the street, in a store or even at a parade and you encounter a regular citizen with a gun, in plain sight. It happens and if some folks have their way, it”s going to happen more.
Open carry gun laws refer to the act of carrying a firearm in plain sight. Openly carrying handguns is legal in most states, even those that ban concealed firearms.
I am all about preserving the Second Amendment that protects the right to keep and bear arms adopted on Dec. 15, 1791.
The Bar Association states there is more disagreement and less understanding about the Second Amendment right than any other current issue regarding the Constitution.
Open carry is legal in California with many restrictions.
As long as a firearm is not concealed, not loaded and the carrier is not in a prohibited area such as a school zone, post office or government building, it is legal.
People typically open carry as a philosophical statement. In California, the following are the main reasons to open carry according to CaliforniaOpenCarry.org: for self-defense, as a form of legal civil protest of unconstitutional firearms laws, as a form of firearms community diplomacy, to dispel the myth that only cops and criminals carry guns and to help re-introduce the general public and the law enforcement community to the reality that ordinary peaceful law-abiding citizens possess, use and carry firearms.
Some people say they do it to exercise rights, to obtain a visible deterrent to crime or to offer more ready access.
Those are all theoretically valid reasons and arguments.
That said, as a citizen, I cannot decipher who has the right to participate in this practice. I would fast feel put on red alert if I were surrounded by a gun-toting population.
Additionally in places of business, like a bank or a convenience store for instance, employees and customers have reason to be wary.
An argument supporting the practice points out that the guns are unloaded; true enough. However, with practice, a person is capable of loading a handgun in less than two seconds, according to CaliforniaOpenCarry.org.
Unloaded open carry is legal anywhere in the state less the following exceptions: schools and school zones, California State Parks, U.S. Post Offices, any state or local public building or at any legislative meeting required to be open to the public, the State Capitol, legislative offices, office of the governor, governor”s residence, sterile areas where access is controlled by security screening of airports and areas restricted by local city or county ordinances.
It is legal to open carry while driving a car or while riding a motorcycle.
Open Carry advocates appeared at Starbucks stores to make a point about their right to openly carry guns. The national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence opposes open carry advocates who appeared at Starbucks stores. The campaign asked Starbucks to ban displaying of weapons. Other chains where the open carry advocates appeared, including Peet”s Coffee & Tea and California Pizza Kitchen, have complied with the Brady Campaign request.
Starbucks stated it complies with local laws. “In this case, 43 of the 50 U.S. states have open carry weapon laws. Where these laws don”t exist, we comply with laws that prohibit the open carrying of weapons. The political, policy and legal debates around these issues belong in the legislatures and courts, not in our stores,” it said.
Recently Starbucks Coffee appealed in a press release that groups on both sides of the open carry gun issue “refrain from putting Starbucks or our partners [employees] into the middle of this divisive issue.”
Open carry in California is still fairly uncommon.
Often people who notice another carrying a gun are fearful, unnerved and unsettled.
The Second Amendment ensures Americans the right to bear arms.
By all means if you are a law-abiding, responsible citizen, stand-up for, and exercise your rights, but don”t do it at the expense of other people”s peace of mind.
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee news editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 Ext. 32.
