Posted on 01/12/2010 4:15:07 AM PST by marktwain
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A Kern County man is testing his Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Rafael Esqueda said he has been visiting different public places over the past week with his gun on his belt.
"We can openly carry in California," he said. "The firearm has to be unloaded in plain view, and the magazine, which is an integral part of the firearm, have to be exposed, also."
In an effort to promote his platform, he, and about four of his friends, all showed up at River Walk Park on Sunday afternoon with their guns exposed. Eyewitness News was there to capture reactions from parkgoers and the event that was to follow.
One family who was at the park fishing with children and grandchildren said they didn't feel comfortable with the guns out. Sandra Cantu is a grandmother and thought what Esqueda was doing was not right.
"I have a lot of grandkids, and I wouldn't want them to do that," she said. "It's showing a mixed message that they could carry them."
About 20 minutes after Esqueda arrived, Bakersfield police arrived and informed him that it was against city code to carry guns in a city park. Esqueda complied and told Eyewitness News that he "learned something new."
He went onto say, "No problems, no arrest, nobody got shot or murdered."
(Excerpt) Read more at bakersfieldnow.com ...
When I'm working out in the woods with wild pigs, mountain lions, and coyotes around, open carry is the way to go. Unfortunately, when I get to the county road to walk home, it does tend to spook the urban transplants.
the magazine was not in the gun but could easily be injected... if needed.
that’s how i read the article.
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>>>The whole point of the open carry movement is to inoculate the “nervous Nellies” so as to have them NOT see someone openly carrying a gun as “scary”.
Yes, but nervous Nellies often react by passing more laws. For example, here in Charlotte, a couple of reports of young African American males walking around downtown openly carrying a handgun (which is not against the law), caused the police chief to push for a new city ordinance that would make open display of a firearm illegal. It didn’t get past that city council, but there was the potential that it might.
If they can stir up enough hoopla to get the law passed at the first incident, yes. But longer term, education and exposure can lead to BETTER laws and not worse ones. As evidence, we can see the ongoing growth of CCW rights as one state after another passes CCW, with zero negative consequences. Even the diehard blowhard liberal states are finally "getting the picture" that it is not GUNS that is the problem, it is CRIMINALS.
I believe it was in the late 60's when Ronald Reagan signed the bill which banned the carrying of loaded weapons in California. (I don't recall the act's name). But, it was Reagan.
The law was passed in the 60’s or 70’s (forget which) after the black panthers staged an armed march on the capital in Sacramento. Scared the pee out of all those whities in the legislature so they hurried up and passed this stupid law. Really no point of carrying in California anyway (concealed or open) since you have a duty to retreat here and the use of deadly force is frowned upon.
As an interesting aside, I used to live in downtown Long Beach in a transitional neighborhood (i.e., just blocks from the hood). My roommate used to go jogging after work at night and would always carry concealed a Sig in a fanny pack. He got jumped by three black guys, pulled out his gun and shot one of them. Surprisingly the cops did not even arrest him and he got his gun back a few days later (this was about 20 years ago though so attitudes have changed). He did not have a license to carry but figured better judged by 12 than carried by 6.
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