The Supreme Court has been asked to block California's limits on concealed carry permit holders, only the request isn't coming from the Sunshine State, but from the governors of some more gun-friendly states.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday filed a brief along with eight other governors with the highest court of the land, including those from Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
"The question presented is whether the State of California can single out one group of disfavored citizens—namely, gun owners—and impose unique burdens on their fundamental rights," the brief says. "Indeed, no other group of private citizens has to prove—to the satisfaction of a government official vested with unreviewable and boundless discretion—that they really need to exercise their fundamental constitutional freedoms."
Like some other states with strict gun laws, California is a "may issue" state that prohibits residents from carrying a concealed weapon in public locations, and does not allow individuals to get a concealed carry license unless they can establish good cause.
Last year, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of California last year, saying "there is no Second Amendment right for members of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public."
"California's only purported justification is that guns are somehow different because they pose unique "public safety" concerns," the Republican governors argue. "That blinks reality. It cannot be disputed that concealed-carry permitholders are disproportionately less likely to pose threats to 'public safety.' And empirical evidence proves that concealed-carry laws either reduce crime or have no effect on it."
For the full story from dallasnews.com, go here.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday filed a brief along with eight other governors with the highest court of the land, including those from Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
"The question presented is whether the State of California can single out one group of disfavored citizens—namely, gun owners—and impose unique burdens on their fundamental rights," the brief says. "Indeed, no other group of private citizens has to prove—to the satisfaction of a government official vested with unreviewable and boundless discretion—that they really need to exercise their fundamental constitutional freedoms."
Like some other states with strict gun laws, California is a "may issue" state that prohibits residents from carrying a concealed weapon in public locations, and does not allow individuals to get a concealed carry license unless they can establish good cause.
Last year, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of California last year, saying "there is no Second Amendment right for members of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public."
"California's only purported justification is that guns are somehow different because they pose unique "public safety" concerns," the Republican governors argue. "That blinks reality. It cannot be disputed that concealed-carry permitholders are disproportionately less likely to pose threats to 'public safety.' And empirical evidence proves that concealed-carry laws either reduce crime or have no effect on it."
For the full story from dallasnews.com, go here.
