AB 144 Archives -

Fixed It For Them

AB 144 which bans unloaded open carry in California is sitting on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk awaiting either a signature or veto. The Brady Campaign opposes UOC because it scares rich white liberals buying overpriced coffee. That it may or may not deter a criminal is irrelevant to them.

Paraphrasing a quote by one of their spokespeople made to the L.A. Times:

Cop carry control advocates hope that California will now pave the way for the rest of the country to outlaw the practice.

“Openly carrying a cop on your back into Starbucks and other establishments creates a culture of fear and intimidation,” said Brian Malte, director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Cop Carry. “It is irresponsible and dangerous.”

“People in other states look to see what California does,” he said. If Brown signs the bill, “other states will follow suit.”

My paraphrase of Brian Malte’s comment makes about as much sense as his statement does. The sad thing is that I realize it and he does not.

ReasonTV On The Debate Over Open Carry In California

ReasonTV today released an excellent video on the debate over unloaded open carry in California. It features Assemblyman Anthony Portatino (D-Pasadena) who wants to outlaw it, activist Sam Wolank who argues cogently for it, and law professor and blogger Eugene Volokh who serves to give some of the background on the banning of open carry from the 19th century.

Interesting enough, loaded open carry was legal in California until 1967. That was when then-Governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford Law which outlawed it. The outlawing of loaded open carry was in response to armed Black Panthers patrolling black neighborhoods while armed. With all due respect to the late Ronald Reagan, this was not his finest hour.

The renewed impetus for this law was the attempted murder of Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ). However, as Professor Volokh notes, it doesn’t make good sense to craft comprehensive legislation that deals with rare situations. Obviously, this has not stopped bills like AB144 and its proponent Assemblyman Portatino.