Federal judge blocks new California concealed weapons law, saying it’s too restrictive

A federal judge approved a request for preliminary injunction of a new state concealed weapons law that would add restrictions on where guns can be carried and some other hurdles to getting a permit.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta immediately vowed to appeal the preliminary injunction issued by Judge Cormac J. Carney in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The ruling against Senate Bill 2 reflected the views taken by sheriffs from Fresno and Tulare counties and others that the new law amounts to overreach by state lawmakers in adding wholesale restrictions to where concealed firearms can be carried.

Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux together have about 30,000 active concealed weapons permit holders in their counties, and they have been outspoken about limits placed on where firearms can be carried under SB 2.

Judge Carney earlier in the day said concealed weapons permit holders can’t be stopped from carrying firearms into many “sensitive places” placed off-limits with the passage of the law by the California legislature.

SB 2 would have banned the carrying of firearms in, hospitals, on public transportation, liquor stores and restaurants serving alcohol, parks, stadiums, libraries, museums, banks, casinos and other areas. In addition, guns were not allowed in stores unless a sign placed at the establishment specifically allowed them.

In doing so, Carney cited the Supreme Court ruling in the 2022 Bruen decision which liberalized the issuance of concealed carry licenses in New York State. SB 2 was created in response.

“We live in dangerous times,” wrote Carney in his ruling Wednesday.

“The right of self-defense and to defend one’s family is fundamental and inherent to our very humanity irrespective of any formal codification. In their wisdom, the Founding Fathers recognized the need for individual citizens to protect themselves and their loved ones from those that would do them harm, and they knew that such a right could not be violated without the right to bear arms.

“The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees law-abiding, responsible citizens the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in case of confrontation”

While pledging to take the case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Bonta noted that portions of SB 2 still in effect enhance the licensing process for conceal weapons permits, require additional training, and raise the age requirement for permit holders to 21 years.