Calif. Politicians Working to Abolish Open Carry of Firearms

For 99.9% of Californians, you can't carry your handgun concealed, you can't open carry it loaded, but you can open carry it unloaded. That is unless a growing effort in the state legislature succeeds to make the 2nd Amendment null and void in the Golden State. 

Sam Wolanyk doesn't want to see that happen. He is an advocate for open carry- which in California is legal if the weapon is completely unloaded. To make his point, Wolanyk carries a pistol on his belt with a detached magazine on his other hip while he walks around downtown San Diego.

This public display in support of the 2nd Amendment has already created problems with local authorities. Despite the fact that carrying an unloaded handgun in the open is completely legal under California law, in 2010 police drew their pistols on Wolanyk, threw him on the ground, and allegedly said "we don't care what the law is, you can't do that."

Wolanyk successfully sued the San Diego Police for $ 35,000 for unlawful arrest without suspicion as as result of that incident.

But California's complicated gun laws may soon become crystal clear, as some politicians are currently trying to close the open carry loophole. This would effectively eliminate the right to carry a firearm as a private citizen anywhere in California. And here's why.

California is one of a few states that are "may issue" for concealed carry permits. What that means is, the county sheriff in California can decide whether or not a citizen gets a gun, and that's it. In California, only .1% of the population has a Concealed Weapons Permit- 29 times below that of "Shall-Issue" states (in New York City, another may-issue state, the application for a premise permit for a handgun costs $340, must be typed on a typewriter, and DMV moving violations can disqualify you).

But in the aftermath of the Arizona shooting that killed six and seriously wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, some politicians in California have been using the rise of anti-gun sentiment in the media to push new gun legislation. A change to the statute is now working its way through the state's legislative process that would eliminate open carry in California.

In response to this, Wolanyk points out that the Arizona shooter, Jared Loughner, violated multiple felonies irrespective of any tightening of gun laws in Arizona or California, and that the shooter was a crazy person unlikely to be deterred by changing open carry laws.

Watch the full video below, complete with interviews from Wolanyk and politicians who want to close out the 2nd Amendment in California, courtesy of Reason.tv:

(h/t hot air)