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Sunday, June 03, 2012 6:26:08 PM
CA: Banning Of Open Rifle Carry
Assembly bill would ban the open carry of rifles
By HANNAH DREIER
Associated Press
May 3, 2012
A year after the Legislature approved a ban on the public display of handguns, the Assembly on Thursday passed a similar prohibition for rifles.
AB1527, which makes it a misdemeanor for a person to carry an unloaded long gun in a public, passed the Assembly 42-28, with Republicans opposed. It includes a long list of exemptions for hunters, military personnel and others.
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, modeled the bill on one he wrote last year banning open carry of handguns. That bill was a response to demonstrations by "open-carry" activists who were gathering at coffee shops wearing their handguns on their hips.
Democrats said those demonstrations could lead to tragedy because the only person who knows whether a gun is loaded is the person holding it.
The same activists are now bringing rifles to public places to protest what they see as an attack on their rights.
Many Republican lawmakers spoke in opposition to the long gun ban Thursday, saying it would undermine the constitutional right to bear arms.
"Hunters are not going to know when they're walking across the road with their firearm if they're one of the three pages of exemptions to this unnecessary bill," said Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks. "I think California has enough problems."
The National Rifle Association has also called the bill restrictive and said the many exemptions it includes reflect the fact that firearms are an integral part of American culture.
It's already illegal to carry a loaded weapon openly in California.
Portantino said did not include long guns in last year's bill because he had hoped the handgun ban would be enough to stop the open-carry gatherings.
"I'd always hoped that people would be reasonable," he said in a telephone interview after the bill was approved. "That's why we didn't tackle long guns last year, because handguns were the problem. I've always thought you don't do a bill without a problem to be solved."
The bill has support from gun control groups and law enforcement. The Peace Officers Research Association of California said in a letter of support that open-carry demonstrations place police in potentially dangerous situations.
Portantino said it was only a matter of time before a confrontation between law enforcement and Second Amendment advocates escalates into violence
"I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that I had an opportunity to avoid a tragedy with something so simple," he said.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/03/state/n143345D88.DTL
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Progressiveness Must Die Today,
In Order That We May Be Free Tomorrow
OMG/OBAMA MUST GO - NOBAMA IN 2012!!!
Assembly bill would ban the open carry of rifles
By HANNAH DREIER
Associated Press
May 3, 2012
A year after the Legislature approved a ban on the public display of handguns, the Assembly on Thursday passed a similar prohibition for rifles.
AB1527, which makes it a misdemeanor for a person to carry an unloaded long gun in a public, passed the Assembly 42-28, with Republicans opposed. It includes a long list of exemptions for hunters, military personnel and others.
Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, modeled the bill on one he wrote last year banning open carry of handguns. That bill was a response to demonstrations by "open-carry" activists who were gathering at coffee shops wearing their handguns on their hips.
Democrats said those demonstrations could lead to tragedy because the only person who knows whether a gun is loaded is the person holding it.
The same activists are now bringing rifles to public places to protest what they see as an attack on their rights.
Many Republican lawmakers spoke in opposition to the long gun ban Thursday, saying it would undermine the constitutional right to bear arms.
"Hunters are not going to know when they're walking across the road with their firearm if they're one of the three pages of exemptions to this unnecessary bill," said Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks. "I think California has enough problems."
The National Rifle Association has also called the bill restrictive and said the many exemptions it includes reflect the fact that firearms are an integral part of American culture.
It's already illegal to carry a loaded weapon openly in California.
Portantino said did not include long guns in last year's bill because he had hoped the handgun ban would be enough to stop the open-carry gatherings.
"I'd always hoped that people would be reasonable," he said in a telephone interview after the bill was approved. "That's why we didn't tackle long guns last year, because handguns were the problem. I've always thought you don't do a bill without a problem to be solved."
The bill has support from gun control groups and law enforcement. The Peace Officers Research Association of California said in a letter of support that open-carry demonstrations place police in potentially dangerous situations.
Portantino said it was only a matter of time before a confrontation between law enforcement and Second Amendment advocates escalates into violence
"I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that I had an opportunity to avoid a tragedy with something so simple," he said.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/03/state/n143345D88.DTL
********
******** Progressiveness Must Die Today,
In Order That We May Be Free Tomorrow
OMG/OBAMA MUST GO - NOBAMA IN 2012!!!
... Gary
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