Decision reached in Richards v. County of Yolo

The Federal judge in the Yolo case has ruled against the plaintiffs would had been denied concealed handgun permits. The judge's decision was that since you can carry an unloaded gun that you can quickly load openly, there isn't a problem.

Under the statutory scheme, even if Plaintiffs are denied a concealed weapon license for self-defense purposes from Yolo County, they are still more than free to keep an unloaded weapon nearby their person, load it, and use it for self-defense in circumstances that may occur in a public setting. Yolo County’s policy does not substantially burden Plaintiffs’ right to bear and keep arms. Therefore, rational basis review applies. . . .

So what does the California state legislature do today?

The California Assembly voted Tuesday to ban openly carrying handguns in public. . . .

Supporters of the bill, including author Lori Saldana (D-San Diego), argued that the practice intimidates the unarmed and wastes police resources because officers frequently have to respond to worried callers saying there's a person with a gun outside Starbucks, or a similarly crowded public space. The ban is supported by the California Police Chiefs Assn.

It is currently legal to openly carry a gun in public in California as long as it's not loaded. Some gun enthusiasts have been known to carry ammunition in a separate pocket, supporters of the bill said.

Opponents argued that there have been no serious incidents associated with openly carrying firearms in California, and called the bill a solution in search of a problem. . . .