Despite claims to being a very “progressive” state (maybe the most progressive state), California is completely backwards and regressive when it comes to some things.
Take firearms, for example (they’d like to take them all, believe me). Preventing the general populace of a country from being allowed to carry weapons for self-defense has a long tradition… among despots, tyrants, dictators, and mass murdering governments.
So banning firearms (or controlling access to them) isn’t exactly what I would call making “progress” or making society a safer and better place.
Quite the opposite.
Fortunately, for those who are having to suffer through Governor Gavin Newsom and his cronies’ anti-2A efforts, there may be a light at the end of a tunnel (that isn’t an oncoming train) (hat tip to here for the lead). Luke McCoy writes,
In a significant legal development, a federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction mandating that California sheriffs and police chiefs accept concealed carry permit applications from nonresidents who are members of certain pro-gun organizations. This ruling could pave the way for expanded access to concealed carry permits in a state known for its restrictive gun laws.
The injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb in the Central District of California, stems from a lawsuit filed by the California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA) and Gun Owners of America (GOA), among other plaintiffs. The lawsuit challenges California’s prohibition against nonresidents applying for or obtaining concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits under the state’s current framework.
Now, before you freak out and think that this won’t actually help legal gun owners in California, realize that making it easier for non-residents of the state to get a carry permit adds weight to legal arguments for making it easier for California residents to own and carry firearms, too.
And anything that moves the needle closer to full gun rights in California is a move in the right direction.
I’ll keep my hopes up, but I have to note that this is a trial court decision on a preliminary injunction, not a permanent injunction. Moreover, despite being preliminary, the State has been known to seek a writ of review on such orders, which in this case would be to the dreaded Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. If the permanent injunction grants out of state plaintiffs a right to apply for CCWs, it is probably inevitable that the State will appeal. As many of us are all too aware, the Ninth Circuit is where gun rights go to die. It may be several more years before this case is finally decided.