Quickly, can you name the last time someone openly carrying a handgun in public resulted in good news? I didn’t think so.
That’s the beauty of Gov. Jerry Brown’s new bill banning Californians from carrying guns in public: The restriction addresses an issue in a sensible way that can only positively affect our citizens.
While gun enthusiasts are in uproar over what they are claiming is an infringement of their right to bear arms, can they honestly say wielding a gun in public has any significant purpose in this day and age?
This is not the “Wild West” where guns, bravado and shootouts to solve problems ruled the day. This is 21st century California, a place where issues in the public sphere mandate lawsuits instead of gun fights.
Furthermore, while this legislation will not end all gun-related crime, it takes the right step forward in cutting back cases of gun violence.
Yes it is true, people hell-bent on shooting others will still find ways to circumvent the laws and create issues, but the legislation, which goes into effect in January, will prevent that awkward situation between two strangers where a gun perched in a holster is doing most of the talking.
When you also consider the fact that Brown says open gun laws were an issue the police chiefs were concerned with, there is even more reason to support this legislation.
As the people responsible for protecting and serving citizens, their concern for the old system should be placed at the forefront of our minds when assessing this new bill. If they believe Brown did the right thing, and all indications are that they do, then trust the men whose responsibility it is to keep us safe on a matter of public safety.
Unfortunately, none of this will matter to gun activists, who will steadfastly protest the law possibly by openly carrying rifles. But taking that stance is missing the point of what Brown was trying to accomplish.
Brown wants to make California a safer place for his citizens, so he talked to the chiefs of police and zeroed in on an issue he felt he could fix by making California the fifth state to openly ban carrying hand guns in public.
We as citizens need to realize  this is a case of the government doing a good thing for us and act accordingly.
Failing to accept and follow the new law banning the open carrying of handguns will do very little for gun activists. They will not find sympathy from those who’ve experienced the tense situation of watching a stranger’s every move because of the gun attached to their waist.
And if they continue to protest a law that has the support of Californians, the chiefs of police, and Brown then their resulting misdemeanor, a fair punishment, will hit them where it hurts—their pocketbooks—after a fine that can reach $1,000.
Brown did the right thing for California when signing the ban into law.
He is protecting California.