Friday, April 20, 2012
If passed, the latest legislation by Altadena's assemblyman would enhance a previous bill and make it illegal to carry unloaded rifles and shotguns.
A bill introduced by Altadena's representative in the state Assembly that would make it a crime to openly carry an unloaded rifle or shotgun in any public place or street was approved Wednesday in Assembly Appropriations. The measure, introduced by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, will head to the Assembly floor for a vote later this spring. If passed, AB 1527 will expand Portantino’s previous bill, AB 144, which bans unloaded handguns from being openly displayed in public. “After the successful adoption of AB 144, “open carry” advocates shifted from carrying and displaying handguns in public to the use of rifles and shotguns, even showing up at police events,” said Portantino, in an emailed statement. "It wastes law enforcement time and …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A recent discussion over the open carry of weapons on the site has raised the question of how safe people feel in the wilderness. We want to hear what you think.
Among the sometimes heated discussion generated by Karin Bugge's column this week on open carry has been some discussion about the safety of hiking or camping in open space areas. Several column readers suggested they would be uncomfortable out in the wilderness unarmed because of potentially dangerous people. There is no doubt that serious crimes do happen in the great outdoors: this 2006 Seattle Times article outlines some of the problems with increased crime in national forest areas. Locally, there have been crimes as well, such as this shooting at the Chantry Flats campground last April. I've heard from several local residents about hiking alone, and whether because of crime safety or the fear of being injured, I've been told from …
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
And why I wish everyone would keep their triggers at home
What do I find scary in Altadena? Fast traffic on dark roads, power lines in a windstorm, the cello-packed seafood at Ralph’s. Hot dry days when the mountains are full of brown and brittle brush -- yes, fire scares me. But I’m not afraid of people; neighbors or strangers with whom I share the streets, parks, shops, gas stations. Whatever personal safety questions cross my mind, owning a gun, much less carrying a gun, doesn’t offer much of an answer. I suppose I could shoot the Ralph’s salmon, but for heaven’s sakes, it’s been dead far too long already. Anthony Portantino has introduced a bill to ban the open-carry of rifles in public. This seems like such a reasonable bill, such a no-brainer, I’ve been nonplussed by the sturm and drang …
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
AB 1527 follows up on Portantino's successful legislation from last year banning the open carry of unloaded hand guns by extending the ban to unloaded shotguns and rifles.
A bill introduced by Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, would ban rifles, shotguns and other long guns from being openly displayed in public, even while unloaded. Portantino wrote in a press release that the bill is inspired by guns right protest groups that openly carry long guns in public. He noted that following the passage of AB 144, the bill he introduced last year barring the open carry of handguns, the groups began to show up instead with automatic rifles and shotguns at rallies. “Last year, the state made it clear that this type of behavior had no place on Main Street, California,” Portantino wrote. “Unfortunately, the Open Carry community has decided to once again force our hand by escalating their unnecessary activities…
Monday, October 31, 2011
The group California Right to Carry plans to file its suit on Dec. 15.
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Monday, October 31, 2011
The Anthony Portantino-sparked "open carry" gun bill signed into law this month is among other pieces of similar legislation in the legal crosshairs of California Right to Carry, a gun rights advocacy group that announced its intent Monday to file a federal lawsuit against open carry law, according to a report in the Pasadena Sun. Portantino's AB 144, which was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in early October, halts the practice of openly displaying unloaded firearms. The lawmaker has called it a "waste" of time for law enforcement, and the bill had the support of the California Police Chiefs and rank-and-file officers. The group has selected Dec. 15 at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles as the time and place for the filing. The …
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Altadena's representative, Anthony Portantino introduced the bill, which would make it a crime for most people to publicly carry unloaded handguns.
The bill that would make it illegal to openly carry unloaded handguns in public is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown's signature. Introduced once before, the bill was this year proposed by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), AB 144 is intended to target the "open carry movement,'' where people protesting gun control laws gather in public and display their firearms. The measure failed to make it out of the legislature in 2010. It cleared the Senate Thursday and passed the lower house on Friday with a vote of 44-30, said Portantino spokeswoman Wendy Gordon. “This law will safeguard families confronted by pistol-packing gun enthusiasts and will shield law enforcement personnel from tense situations where they don’t know if the …
John Wilburn
10:35 am on Monday, April 23, 2012
Steve, I believe in open carry too and do so almost every day. Believe me, I don't think California or any other state has any business regulating carry open or concealed. We have more in common on this than difference, from the sound of it. The social club may be legal, I don't know, but it doesn't sound like the best of company to aspire to be in. Regardless, folks like us need to work together… more ›