Calif. Gun Advocates Rally At Capitol

Group Opposes Bill To Ban Openly Carrying Unloaded Guns

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- With guns in holsters and rifles strapped to their chests, Second Amendment activists converged Monday outside California's Capitol to demonstrate their right to bear arms.



Most of the 50 protesters who gathered brought guns and rifles, although they said their weapons were not loaded to comply with the state's open-carry law.



"The Second Amendment gives us the right to keep and bear arms," said rally organizer Kent Sandhagen, who wore a pistol in a leather holster on his hip.



Sandhagen, of Los Banos, said he and other gun owners organized the gathering to coincide with a similar rally in the nation's capital.



They also were protesting a bill pending in the California Legislature that would ban gun owners from openly carrying unloaded guns in public. One man carried a sign reading "Patriotic legislators do not permit infringement."



The bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Lori Saldana of San Diego is scheduled for a committee hearing Tuesday. She has described the proposed ban as a public safety issue.

It would make California the fourth state to ban people from wearing guns openly, according to the Legal Community Against Violence, a public interest law center based in San Francisco.



Ryan Johnston, a 32-year-old mechanic from Sacramento, said he doesn't make a habitat of carrying his Smith & Wesson rifle in public but made an exception for Monday's rally.

"It's more important that other people don't tell me not to," Johnston said. "I have a Constitutional right I need to exercise."



Only gun owners with a concealed-weapons permit can carry a loaded weapon in California, a restriction protesters also argue violates the Second Amendment.



The Saldana bill would not impact concealed-weapons permits. The proposed open-carry ban is backed by the California Police Chiefs Association.

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I wish I would have known about this gathering last night!

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From Poll: Do you think California should ban people from openly carrying unloaded firearms?

Percentage of1775 Votes

Yes
431

24%

No
1344

76%
http://www.kcra.com/politics/23198721/detail.html (not 1776 yet :lol

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No
2752

75%

I manage a small non-profit, and I upload the events list at the state capitol every week, as soon as they are available.



http://publicdocumentdistributors.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38

I saw the event listed, but communication from the person in charge was slow, and by the time I did get a return email I had made other plans.

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AyatollahGondola wrote:

I manage a small non-profit, and I upload the events list at the state capitol every week, as soon as they are available.



http://publicdocumentdistributors.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38

I saw the event listed, but communication from the person in charge was slow, and by the time I did get a return email I had made other plans.

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Thanks for the info, but I don't want to buy WordPerfect. Maybe try some format besides .rtf

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Gundude wrote:

AyatollahGondola wrote:

I manage a small non-profit, and I upload the events list at the state capitol every week, as soon as they are available.



http://publicdocumentdistributors.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38

I saw the event listed, but communication from the person in charge was slow, and by the time I did get a return email I had made other plans.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, but I don't want to buy WordPerfect. Maybe try some format besides .rtf

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I don't see why you would need that. Download the file and open with wordpad or notepad.

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