Contact members of the Senate Appropriations Committee TODAY!
This Monday, the state Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to hear Assembly Bill 144, a bill that would ban the open carrying of an unloaded handgun.
The language of AB 144 is back for a second consecutive year. This year it was introduced by anti-gun state Assemblyman Anthony Portantino. AB 144 is a clear demonstration of the irrational “gun-phobia” that so often drives our opponents. Anti-gun politicians in the legislature are not satisfied that law-abiding Californian’s are almost completely denied the right to carry; they also want to ban the open carrying of unloaded guns.
This bill is a knee-jerk reaction by anti-gun legislators to punish citizens for engaging in the legal act of openly carrying an unloaded handgun. In reality, the open carrying of firearms by law-abiding citizens is a result of California’s unfair concealed carry law, which allow citizens from some counties to received a permit to carry, while their neighbors in the next county are denied that basic right for political, not public safety, reasons.
Rather than place more restrictions on the right of self-defense for law-abiding Californians, the legislature should instead take steps to ensure that all citizens of the Golden State are treated equally by enacting a statewide “shall-issue” Right-to-Carry law, with clear standards for the issuance of a carry permit that all counties must follow.
Please call AND e-mail members of the Senate Appropriations Committee TODAY and urge them to OPPOSE AB 144. Contact information for the Committee can be found here.