California Sheriff Declines to Enforce State Bans on Concealed Carry
A California county sheriff’s office has announced that it will not be enforcing the state’s newest ban on concealed carry, citing the law’s unconstitutionality.
Senate Bill 2, which went into effect at the beginning of the year, prohibits individuals in California with concealed carry permits from carrying firearms in 26 different types of public spaces. Prohibited spaces include places of worship, parks, public events, and public transportation. Despite being initially blocked by a federal judge last December, a swift reversal by a federal appeals court allowed the law to be enacted while litigation continued.
In response to the controversial law, Sutter County Sheriff Barnes, alongside County District Attorney Jennifer R. Dupre, released a joint statement expressing their belief that the legislation infringes upon constitutionally protected activity. They also announced that they will not be enforcing the ban, but rather will address individual circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
“We have no interest in criminalizing constitutionally protected behavior,” the two officials said in a joint statement last week. “We took an oath to uphold our Constitution and will work to protect the rights of our citizens.”
The concealed carry ban has come under heavy scrutiny after the Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen that concluded state gun control measures must adhere to the “historic tradition” of firearm legislation in the country. U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney, the federal judge who initially blocked the law, characterized it as “repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court.”
“This issue is far from being resolved and we are hopeful the courts will rule in favor of our constitution,” the Sheriff’s office and the district attorney explained. “We will continue to keep our community informed on this important issue.”
The law, while presumably intended for metropolitan areas in California like Los Angeles and San Francisco, also applies to rural areas like Sutter County. This is yet another example of the rural residents of California that unfortunately are forced to adhere to the far-left ideals of the state’s large cities.
