Forty four years ago, a Republican governor named Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford Act, which banned the carrying of loaded weapons in public places. Californians retained wide leeway to openly pack an unloaded weapon, even when simultaneously carrying ammunition that can be loaded and fired within seconds. In recent years, members of the "open carry" movement have been making a very public display of their right to carry unloaded handguns in an effort to make two points. One, they contend that concealed weapon permits have become too difficult to obtain. Also, they want to assert what they regard as their Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Read Original at: The San Francisco Chronicle (Calif.)