Mike
Site Co-Founder
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_guns27.2598420.html
SNIP
Before heading out the door, it's not unusual for Richard Mafera and Mario Carvajal to grab their keys, their wallets and their handguns.
Mafera, who is from Rancho Cucamonga, and Carvajal, a Temecula resident, are among the unknown number of Inland residents who practice "open carry" -- carrying firearms in plain sight.
Under current law, residents can carry unconcealed guns in public that are not loaded. They also can have ammunition on their person, but cannot go within 1,000 feet of schools or take guns to places like government buildings.
"It's just your natural right to defend yourself," said Carvajal, 39. "Open carry is nothing more than a tool to achieve that goal of self-defense."
A proposed state law would make openly carrying a handgun a misdemeanor. Sponsored by Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, the bill passed the state Assembly earlier this month and is set to go before the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 12.
Rachel Arrezola, a spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said the governor has not yet taken a position on the bill and will decide when it reaches his desk whether to sign or veto it.
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SNIP
Before heading out the door, it's not unusual for Richard Mafera and Mario Carvajal to grab their keys, their wallets and their handguns.
Mafera, who is from Rancho Cucamonga, and Carvajal, a Temecula resident, are among the unknown number of Inland residents who practice "open carry" -- carrying firearms in plain sight.
Under current law, residents can carry unconcealed guns in public that are not loaded. They also can have ammunition on their person, but cannot go within 1,000 feet of schools or take guns to places like government buildings.
"It's just your natural right to defend yourself," said Carvajal, 39. "Open carry is nothing more than a tool to achieve that goal of self-defense."
A proposed state law would make openly carrying a handgun a misdemeanor. Sponsored by Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, the bill passed the state Assembly earlier this month and is set to go before the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 12.
Rachel Arrezola, a spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said the governor has not yet taken a position on the bill and will decide when it reaches his desk whether to sign or veto it.
. . .