BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY Senator Loni Hancock, Chair A 2011-2012 Regular Session B 1 4 4 AB 144 (Portantino) As Amended June 1, 2011 Hearing date: June 7, 2011 Business and Professions Code and Penal Code SM:dl OPEN CARRYING OF UNLOADED HANDGUNS HISTORY Source: California Police Chiefs Association Prior Legislation: AB 1934 (Saldana) - 2010, died on Assembly Concurrence AB 98 (Cohn) - 2005, held on Suspense in Assembly Appropriations AB 2501(Horton) - 2004, failed passage in Assembly Public Safety AB 2828 (Cohn) - 2004, failed passage in Assembly Public Safety Support: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (California Chapters); City of Beverly Hills; City of Los Angeles; City of West Hollywood; Coalition Against Gun Violence; Friends Committee on Legislation; Legal Community Against Violence; Los Angeles Sheriff's Department; Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC); over 200 individual citizens Opposition:California Rifle and Pistol Association; Capitol Resource Family Impact; Diablo Valley Gun Works; Gun Owners of California; National Rifle Association; (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageB Responsible Citizens of California; 20 individual citizens Assembly Floor Vote: Ayes 46 - Noes 29 KEY ISSUES SHOULD IT BE A MISDEMEANOR PUNISHABLE BY UP TO SIX MONTHS IN COUNTY JAIL AND A $1,000 FINE TO OPENLY CARRY AN UNLOADED HANDGUN ON ONE'S PERSON OR IN A VEHICLE? (Continued) SHOULD IT BE A MISDEMEANOR PUNISHABLE BY UP TO ONE YEAR IN COUNTY JAIL AND A $1,000 FINE TO OPENLY CARRY AN UNLAWFULLY POSSESSED UNLOADED HANDGUN AND AMMUNITION IN PUBLIC IN AN INCORPORATED CITY? SHOULD SPECIFIED EXCEPTIONS TO THIS PROHIBITION BE ESTABLISHED? SHOULD IT BE A MISDEMEANOR, PUNISHABLE BY UP TO SIX MONTHS IN JAIL AND A FINE OF UP TO $1,000 FOR THE DRIVER OF A VEHICLE TO KNOWINGLY ALLOW A PERSON TO BRING AN OPENLY CARRIED, UNLOADED HANDGUN INTO THE VEHICLE? PURPOSE The purpose of this bill is to (1) make it a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine to openly carry an unloaded handgun on one's person or in a vehicle; (2) make it a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail and a $1,000 fine to openly carry an unlawfully possessed unloaded handgun and ammunition in public in an incorporated city; (3) establish specified exceptions to this prohibition; (4) make it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 for the driver of a vehicle to (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageC knowingly allow a person to bring an openly carried, unloaded handgun into the vehicle; and (5) make conforming and nonsubstantive technical changes to affected statutes. Existing law defines "handgun" as any "pistol," "revolver," or "firearm capable of being concealed upon the person." (Penal Code § 16640(a).)<1> Existing law prohibits carrying a concealed weapon, loaded or unloaded, unless granted a permit to do so. Except as otherwise provided, a person is guilty of carrying a concealed firearm when he or she: Carries concealed within any vehicle which is under his or her control or direction any pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person; Causes to be concealed within any vehicle in which the person is an occupant any pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person; or, Carries concealed upon his or her person any pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person. (Penal Code § 25400(a).) Existing law provides that carrying a concealed firearm is generally a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in a county jail; by a fine of up to $1,000; or both. However, there are several circumstances in which carrying a concealed weapon may be punishable as a felony or alternate felony-misdemeanor: A felony where the person has previously been convicted of any felony or of any crime made punishable by the Dangerous Weapons Control Law; A felony where the firearm is stolen and the person knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, that the firearm -------------------------- <1> SB 1080, Chap. 711, Stats. 2010, and SB 1115, Chap. 178, Stats. 2010, recast and renumbered most statutes relating to deadly weapons without any substantive change to those statutes. Those changes will become operative January 1, 2012. All references to affected code sections will be to the revised version unless otherwise indicated. (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageD was stolen; A felony where the person is an active participant in a criminal street gang; A felony where the person is not in lawful possession of the firearm, as defined, or the person is within a class of persons prohibited from possessing or acquiring a firearm; An alternate felony-misdemeanor where the person has been convicted of a crime against a person or property or of a narcotics or dangerous drug violation; and, An alternate felony-misdemeanor where: o Both the concealable firearm and the unexpended ammunition for that firearm are either in the immediate possession of the person or readily available to that person or where the firearm is loaded; and, o The person is not listed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) as the registered owner of the firearm. (Penal Code § 25400(c).) Existing law provides a number of exceptions and limitations to the prohibition on carrying a concealed firearm including methods to lawfully carry firearms in a vehicle, a home, or a business, etc. (Penal Code §§ 25600, 25605, 25610, 25505-25595, 25450-25475, 25615-25655, and 26150-26255.) Existing law authorizes the sheriff of a county, or the chief or other head of a municipal police department of any city or city and county, upon proof that the person applying is of good moral character, that good cause exists for the issuance, and that the person applying satisfies any one of specified conditions, and has completed a course of training, as specified, to issue to that person a license to carry a pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person in either one of the following formats: A license to carry concealed a pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed upon the person. Where the population of the county is less than 200,000 persons according to the most recent federal decennial census, a license to carry loaded and exposed in only that county a pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageE being concealed upon the person. (Pen Code § 26150-26255.) Existing law prohibits the carrying of a loaded firearm on his or her person or in a vehicle while in any public place or on any public street in an incorporated city or a prohibited area of unincorporated territory. The penalty provisions for this prohibition are substantially similar to those provided in Penal Code Section 25400(c) and provide numerous exceptions and limitation to this prohibition. (Penal Code § 25850.) Existing law provides that a firearm shall be deemed to be loaded for the purposes of Penal Code Section 12031 when there is an unexpended cartridge or shell, consisting of a case that holds a charge of powder and a bullet or shot, in, or attached in any manner to, the firearm, including, but not limited to, in the firing chamber, magazine, or clip thereof attached to the firearm; except that a muzzle-loader firearm shall be deemed to be loaded when it is capped or primed and has a powder charge and ball or shot in the barrel or cylinder. (Penal Code § 16840(b).) Existing law provides in the Fish and Game Code that it is unlawful to possess a loaded rifle or shotgun in any vehicle or conveyance or its attachments which is standing on or along or is being driven on or along any public highway or other way open to the public. (Fish and Game Code § 2006.) Existing law provides that a rifle or shotgun shall be deemed to be loaded for the purposes of this section when there is an unexpended cartridge or shell in the firing chamber but not when the only cartridges or shells are in the magazine. (Id.) Existing law provides that carrying a loaded firearm is generally a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in a county jail; by a fine of up to $1,000; or both. However, there are several circumstances in which the penalty may be punishable as a felony or alternate felony-misdemeanor: (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageF A felony where the person has previously been convicted of any felony or of any crime made punishable by the Dangerous Weapons Control Law; A felony where the firearm is stolen and the person knew or had reasonable cause to believe that the firearm was stolen ; A felony where the person is an active participant in a criminal street gang; A felony where the person is not in lawful possession of the firearm, as defined, or the person is within a class of persons prohibited from possessing or acquiring a firearm; An alternate felony-misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the state prison; by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed one year; by a fine not to exceed $1,000; or by both that imprisonment and fine where the person has been convicted of a crime against a person or property or of a narcotics or dangerous drug violation. An alternate felony-misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the state prison; by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed one year; by a fine not to exceed $1,000; or by both that imprisonment and fine where the person is not listed with the DOJ as the registered owner of the firearm. (Penal Code § 25858(c).) Existing law , the "Gun-Free School Zone Act," prohibits a person, without appropriate permission, as specified, from possessing a firearm within an area that the person knew or reasonably should have known was a "school zone," defined as an area in or on the grounds of or within 1,000 feet of the grounds of any public or private K-12 school. (Penal Code § 626.9.) Existing law provides that any person who has ever been convicted of a felony and who owns or has in his or her possession or under his or her custody or control a firearm is guilty of a felony, punishable by 16 months, 2 or 3 years in prison. (Penal Code § 29800(b).) Existing law provides that every person who, except in self-defense, draws or exhibits any firearm in public, loaded or (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageG unloaded, in the presence of another person, in a rude, angry or threatening manner is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be imprisoned for not less than three months nor more than one year in the county jail; fined $1,000; or both. (Penal Code § 417(a).) Existing law provides that every person who, except in self-defense, draws or exhibits any firearm, loaded or unloaded, in a rude, angry or threatening manner in public, in the presence of a peace officer, who a reasonable person would know was in the performance of his or her duty, is guilty of an alternate misdemeanor/felony and shall be imprisoned for not less than nine months and up to one year in the county jail or in the state prison for 16 months, 2 or 3 years. (Penal Code § 417(c).) This bill provides that it shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in the county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, for any person to carry an exposed and unloaded handgun outside a vehicle upon his or her person or inside or on a vehicle, whether or not on his or her person, while in: A public place or public street in an incorporated city or city and county. A public street in a prohibited area of an unincorporated area of a county or city and county. A public place in a prohibited area of a county or city and county. This bill provides that it shall be a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, for any person to carry an exposed and unloaded handgun inside or on a vehicle, whether or not on his or her person, while in a public place or public street in an incorporated city or city and county is, if both of the following conditions exist: The handgun and unexpended ammunition capable of being discharged from that handgun are in the immediate possession of that person. (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageH The person is not in lawful possession of that handgun. This bill provides that the above-stated provisions shall not preclude prosecution under any other law with a penalty that is greater. This bill provides that the above-stated provisions are cumulative, and shall not be construed as restricting the application of any other law. However, an act or omission punishable in different ways by different provisions of law shall not be punished under more than one provision. This bill provides that, notwithstanding the fact that the term "an unloaded handgun" is used in this section, each handgun shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. This bill provides that the crime of openly carrying an unloaded handgun does not apply to, or affect, the following: The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by any peace officer or by an honorably retired peace officer authorized to carry a handgun, as specified; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by any person authorized to openly carry a loaded handgun, as specified; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun as merchandise by a person who is engaged in the business of manufacturing, wholesaling, repairing or dealing in firearms and who is licensed to engaged in that business or an authorized representative of that business; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by duly authorized military or civil organizations while parading, or the members thereof when at the meeting places of their respective organizations; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun upon the person by a member of any club or organization organized for the purpose of practicing shooting at targets upon established target ranges, whether public or private, while the members are using handguns upon (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageI the target ranges or incident to the use of a handgun at that target range; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by a licensed hunter while engaged in lawful hunting; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun incident to transportation of a handgun by a person operating a licensed common carrier or an authorized agent or employee thereof when transported in conformance with applicable federal law; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by a member of an organization chartered by the Congress of the United States or nonprofit mutual or public benefit corporation organized and recognized as a nonprofit tax-exempt organization by the Internal Revenue Service while an official parade duty or ceremonial occasions of that organization; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun upon the person within a gun show, as specified; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun within a school zone, as defined, with the written permission of the school district superintendent, his or her designee, or equivalent school authority; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun when in accordance with the provisions relating to the possession of a weapon in a public building or State Capitol; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by any person while engaged in the act of making or attempting to make a lawful arrest; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun incident to loaning, selling, or transferring the same, as specified, so long as that handgun is possessed within private property and the possession and carrying is with the permission of the owner or lessee of that private property; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by a person engaged in firearms-related activities, while on the premises of a fixed place of business which is licensed to conduct and conducts, as a regular course of its business, activities related to the sale, (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageJ making, repair, transfer, pawn, or the use of firearms, or related to firearms training; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by an authorized participant in, or an authorized employee or agent of a supplier of firearms for, a motion picture, television, or video production or entertainment event when the participant lawfully uses the handgun as part of that production or event or while rehearsing or practicing, or while the participant or authorized employee or agent is at that production event or rehearsal or practice; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun upon the person incident to obtaining an identification number or mark assigned for that handgun from the Department of Justice (DOJ); The open carrying of an unloaded handgun upon the person at any established target range, whether public or private, while the person is using the handgun upon the target range. The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by a person when that person is summoned by a peace officer to assist in making arrests or preserving the peace while he or she is actually engaged in assisting that officer; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun upon the person incident to any of the following: o Complying with requirements for importing that handgun or curio or relic into California; o Reporting disposition of a handgun to DOJ, as specified; o The sale or transfer of that firearm to a government entity, as specified; o Complying with requirements related to the transfer of a handgun obtained by gift or inheritance; o Complying with requirements for taking possession or title of that handgun; (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageK The open carrying of an unloaded handgun incident to a private party transfer through a licensed firearms dealer; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by a person in the scope and course of training by an individual to become a sworn peace officer; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun in the course and scope of training to in order to be licensed to carry a concealed weapon; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun at the request of a sheriff or chief or other head of a municipal police department; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun upon the person within a place of business, within a place of residence, or on private property if done with the permission of the owner or lawful possessor of the property; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun upon the person when all of the following conditions are satisfied: o The open carrying occurs at an auction or similar event of a nonprofit or mutual benefit corporation event where firearms are auctioned or otherwise sold to fund activities. o The unloaded handgun is to be auctioned or otherwise sold for the nonprofit public benefit mutual benefit corporation. o The unloaded handgun is delivered by a licensed dealer. The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by a person authorized to carry a handgun in the State Capitol or residences of the Governor or other constitutional officers; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun by authorized public transit officials, as specified; The open carrying of an unloaded handgun on publicly owned land, if the possession and use of a handgun is specifically permitted by the managing (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageL agency of the land and the person carrying the handgun is in lawful possession of that handgun; The carrying of an unloaded handgun if the handgun is carried either in the locked trunk of a motor vehicle or in a locked container. This bill provides that the "Gun Free School Zones Act" described above does not apply to or affect the following persons: A security guard authorized to openly carry an unloaded handgun pursuant to the provisions of this bill; An honorably retired peace officer authorized to openly carry an unloaded handgun pursuant to the provisions of this bill. This bill provides that it shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, for a driver of any motor vehicle or the owner of any motor vehicle, whether or not the owner of the vehicle is occupying the vehicle, to knowingly permit any other person to carry into or bring into the vehicle an openly carried unloaded handgun, as specified. This bill makes conforming and nonsubstantive technical changes. RECEIVERSHIP/OVERCROWDING CRISIS AGGRAVATION For the last several years, severe overcrowding in California's prisons has been the focus of evolving and expensive litigation. As these cases have progressed, prison conditions have continued to be assailed, and the scrutiny of the federal courts over California's prisons has intensified. On June 30, 2005, in a class action lawsuit filed four years earlier, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California established a Receivership to take control of the delivery of medical services to all California state prisoners confined by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ("CDCR"). In December of 2006, (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageM plaintiffs in two federal lawsuits against CDCR sought a court-ordered limit on the prison population pursuant to the federal Prison Litigation Reform Act. On January 12, 2010, a three-judge federal panel issued an order requiring California to reduce its inmate population to 137.5 percent of design capacity -- a reduction at that time of roughly 40,000 inmates -- within two years. The court stayed implementation of its ruling pending the state's appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. On May 23, 2011, the United States Supreme Court upheld the decision of the three-judge panel in its entirety, giving California two years from the date of its ruling to reduce its prison population to 137.5 percent of design capacity, subject to the right of the state to seek modifications in appropriate circumstances.In response to the unresolved prison capacity crisis, in early 2007 the Senate Committee on Public Safety began holding legislative proposals which could further exacerbate prison overcrowding through new or expanded felony prosecutions. This bill does not appear to aggravate the prison overcrowding crisis described above. COMMENTS 1. Need for This Bill According to the author: The absence of a prohibition on "open carry" has created an increase in problematic instances of guns carried in public, alarming unsuspecting individuals and causing issues for law enforcement. Simply put, open carry creates a potentially dangerous situation for the Citizens of California. Often, when an individual is openly carrying a firearm, law enforcement is called to the scene with few details other than one or more armed individuals (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageN are present at a location. In these tense situations, the slightest wrong move by the gun-carrier could be construed as threatening by the responding officer, who may feel compelled to respond in a manner that could be lethal. In this situation the practice of "open carry" creates an unsafe environment for all parties involved; the officer, the gun-carrying individual, and for any other people who happen to be in the line of fire. Additionally, the increase in "open carry" calls placed to law enforcement has taxed departments dealing with under-staffing and cutbacks due to the current fiscal climate in California, preventing them from protecting the public in other ways. 2. Background - The "Open Carry Movement" in California California has some of the nation's strictest regulations regarding gun ownership. One practice that has remained unregulated is carrying an unconcealed, unloaded handgun. In 2004 and 2005, and then again last year there were unsuccessful attempts to prohibit this practice. (AB 2828 (Cohn) (2004); AB 2501 (Horton) (2004); AB 98 (Cohn) (2005), AB 1934 (Saldana) (2010).) A new movement to promote the open carrying of firearms in California and around the country has heightened debate around the issue, as reported in the New York Times: For years, being able to carry a concealed handgun has been a sacred right for many gun enthusiasts. In defending it, Charlton Heston, the actor and former president of the National Rifle Association, used to say that the flock is safer when the wolves cannot tell the difference between the lions and the lambs. But a grass-roots effort among some gun rights advocates is shifting attention to a different goal: exercising the right to carry unconcealed weapons in the 38 or more states that have so-called open-carry laws allowing guns to be carried in public view with (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageO little or no restrictions. The movement is not only raising alarm among gun control proponents but also exposing rifts among gun rights advocates. The call for gun owners to carry their guns openly in the normal course of business first drew broad attention last summer, when opponents of the Obama administration's health care overhaul began appearing at town-hall-style meetings wearing sidearms. But in recent weeks, the practice has expanded as gun owners in California and other states that allow guns to be openly carried have tested the law by showing up at so-called meet-ups, in which gun owners appear at Starbucks, pizza parlors and other businesses openly bearing their weapons. "Our point is to do the same thing that concealed carriers do," said Mike Stollenwerk, a co-founder of OpenCarry.org, which serves as a national forum. "We're just taking off our jackets." The goal, at least in part, is to make the case for liberalized concealed weapon laws by demonstrating how uncomfortable many people are with publicly displayed guns. The tactic has startled many business owners like Peet's Coffee and Tea and California Pizza Kitchen, which forbid guns at their establishments. So far, Starbucks has resisted doing the same. (Locked, Loaded, and Ready to Caffeinate, New York Times, March 7, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/us/08guns.html?pagewa nted=print.) 3. Is Banning Open Carrying of Handguns Unconstitutional? The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed". (U.S. Const., Second Amend.) For many years, courts have wrestled with the question of whether the Second Amendment protects the individual's right to own a (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageP weapon. In United States vs. Cruikshank (1875) 92 U.S. 542, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment guaranteed states the right to maintain militias but did not guarantee to individuals the right to possess guns. Subsequently, in United States vs. Miller (1939), the Court upheld a federal law banning the interstate transportation of certain firearms. Miller, who had been arrested for transporting a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun from Oklahoma to Arkansas, claimed the law was a violation of the Second Amendment. The Court rejected Miller's argument, stating: In the absence of any evidence tending to show that possession or use of a "shotgun having a barrel of less than eighteen inches in length" at this time has some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia, we cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear such an instrument. Certainly it is not within judicial notice that this weapon is any part of the ordinary military equipment or that its use could contribute to the common defense. (United States v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174, 178 (1939).) For many years following the Supreme Court's decision in United States vs. Miller, the orthodox opinion among academics and federal appeals courts alike was that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution did not protect possession of firearms unrelated to service in the lawfully established militia. (Merkel, Parker v. District of Columbia and the Hollowness of the Originalist Claims to Principled Neutrality, 18 Geo. Mason U. Civil Right L. Journal, 251, 251.) That changed in June 2008, when the United States Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia vs. Heller that a District of Columbia complete ban on possession of a handgun in the home was an unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment. (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageQ (District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) 128 S. Ct. 2783, 2797.) After a lengthy discussion of the historical context and meaning of the Second Amendment, the Court stated: Putting all of these textual elements together, we find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation. This meaning is strongly confirmed by the historical background of the Second Amendment. We look to this because it has always been widely understood that the Second Amendment, like the First and Fourth Amendments, codified a pre-existing right. The very text of the Second Amendment implicitly recognizes the pre-existence of the right and declares only that it 'shall not be infringed.' As we said in United States v. Cruikshank Ýcitation omitted] 'Ýt]his is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence. The Second Amendment declares that it shall not be infringed ...' " (Heller at 2797.) However, in the Heller decision, the Supreme Court also stated: Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. From Blackstone through the 19th-century cases, commentators and courts routinely explained that the right was not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose. For example, the majority of the 19th-century courts to consider the question held that prohibitions on carrying concealed weapons were lawful under the Second Amendment or state analogues. Although we do not undertake an exhaustive historical analysis today of the full scope of the Second Amendment, nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageR schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. n26 FOOTNOTES n26 We identify these presumptively lawful regulatory measures only as examples; our list does not purport to be exhaustive. (District of Columbia v. Heller, 128 S. Ct. 2783, 2816-2817 (2008), citations omitted.) (More) Therefore, while the Heller decision established that the right to own a firearm is a personal right, not one limited to ownership while serving in a "well-regulated militia," it also held that the government may place reasonable restrictions on that right such as restricting "carrying firearms in sensitive places." It is not clear whether the Supreme Court would include in its list of lawful regulatory measures prohibiting the open carrying of unloaded handguns in public. IS A BAN ON OPEN CARRYING OF HANDGUNS IN PUBLIC CONSTITUTIONAL? 4. Arguments in Support The Peace Officer Research Association of California states: The practice by individuals and organizations to "openly carry" firearms in public places in order to challenge law enforcement and firearm statutes in California is increasing in frequency. While PORAC understands that most of these open carry demonstrations are being done by law abiding citizens, it places law enforcement and the public in a precarious and possibly dangerous situation. Most often, law enforcement is called to the scene based on a citizen or merchant complaint. When the officer arrives at the scene, it is their obligation to question those persons carrying the firearms and to inquire as to whether the firearm is loaded. Until that officer has physically seen if the firearm is loaded, that officer must assume that their lives and the lives of those around them may be in danger. Again, these situations are potentially dangerous and should not occur in a public place wherein any number of things could go wrong. We believe this bill will be very helpful in preventing these potentially unsafe incidents from happening. (More) AB 144 (Portantino) PageT 5. Arguments in Opposition The National Rifle Association and the California Rifle and Pistol Association state: By denying individuals the ability to carry an unloaded firearm, SB 144 directly violates the constitutional right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. We urge you to oppose this attack on the rights of the law abiding population to carry a firearm in case of a self-defense emergency should they so choose. In addition, we write to notify you that the problems facing SB 144 are compounded by the current state of California's concealed carry weapons (CCW) permitting system. Should AB 144 pass, it will wreak havoc on California's CCW permitting system. In most areas of California, CCW permits are rarely issued, and are usually reserved for those with political clout and the wealthy elite. Because of this reality, "open carrying" is the only method available to the overwhelming majority of law-abiding individuals who wish to carry a firearm for self-defense. Accordingly, by banning the open carrying of even unloaded firearms, SB 144 effectively shuts the door on the ability of law-abiding Californians to carry a firearm for self-defense at all. ***************