Gun control: Appeals court eases California counties' concealed-carry rules

In a surprising ruling, a federal appeals court Thursday declared unconstitutional the restrictions that many California counties have used to sharply limit the right to carry a concealed handgun.

The 2-1 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a San Diego case isn't final because it could still be appealed. But if it stands, "California will join the vast majority of other states that now (freely) issue permits to people for self-defense," said Chuck Michel, attorney for the California Rifle and Pistol Association.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said today that California is wrong to require applicants to show "good cause" to receive a permit to carry a concealed weapon. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group Archives)

That would be a sea change for most Bay Area counties, where sheriffs generally require applicants to show evidence that their safety is at such great risk that it can only be addressed by giving them a permit to carry a gun. But in other parts of the Golden State, it's much easier to get a concealed-carry permit: While sheriffs in urban counties hand out permits by the dozens, sheriffs in less-populated rural continues hand them out by the thousands.
Thursday's ruling, cheered by pro-gun groups and panned by gun-control advocates, means that one day all law-abiding Californians with the right training and a desire for self-defense could have the right to carry concealed handguns.

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