Author: Roy Bedard
By Brian Charles Pasadena Star-News
One half of the state Legislature ? the Assembly ? on Monday approved a bill co-sponsored by a local lawmaker that bans the carrying of unloaded guns openly in public places.
The bill, AB 144, now heads to the state Senate for consideration. If approved there, it should land on Gov. Jerry Brown?s desk by the end of the summer, said co-sponsoring Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Ca ada Flintridge.
"I was pleased the support was significant and a number of my colleagues spoke out in support," he said. "We want to make sure law enforcement is protected and Main Street California is free from a proliferation of weapons."
The bill would fine violators $1,000 for carrying an unloaded weapon in public.
Officials at Women Against Gun Violence were "thrilled" with the bill?s passage. Representatives said it marks the first step toward stemming what it called a tide of gun "normalization" in American culture.
"We found open carry to be intimidating and part of an effort to mainstream guns in our society. People get used to seeing them and having them around; they become part of everyday life," said Margot Bennett, executive director of Women Against Gun Violence. "By this bill passing, that?s a step toward thwarting that effort."
Open carry proponents have mounted demonstrations against the bill. South Bay Open Carry, for example, organized an "open carry night" in Old Pasadena on April 21, with proponents strolling through the city?s shopping and dining district with guns strapped to their sides.
The passing of AB 144 on Monday didn?t surprise South Bay Open Carry president Gene McCarthy.
"We fully expected it to pass. That?s just one step in the process," said Gene McCarthy, president of South Bay Open Carry, reacting to the passing of the bill through the Assembly. "We fully expect the bull to fail in the Senate or for it to be vetoed by the governor."
McCarthy pointed to Brown?s history of support for the second amendment adding that open carry proponents expect him to remain true to his record as a advocate for gun owner?s rights.
While the group hoped to send the message that carrying guns in public doesn?t represent a public menace, Portantino said the spectacle drove home his point that no one is comfortable around gun-wielding people.
"You don?t need a gun to order a cup of coffee," Portantino said.
But new Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Claremont, a Tea Party backed former Minuteman, called the bill an "infringement" on the right to bear arms protected in the Constitution.
"The founders trusted our people, even though it might frighten some people," Donnelly said. "The founders entrusted the people with the right to bear arms."
Donnelly, a hawk in immigration enforcement, said the solution to gun violence lies in strict enforcement of all laws, especially those governing undocumented aliens.
"The way to make the streets safe is to enforce the law, all the laws, especially the immigration laws," Donnelly said. "We should use our existing laws to remove the gangs."
Portantino disagreed.
"I think it?s not really about the Constitution. Mr Donnelly is talking about supporting weapons and loaded weapons," Portantino said. "It?s a fundamental ideological divide. I want law enforcement to do its job and I want people to live their lives, and they are separate roles in society."
A similar bill weaved its way through the labyrinth of committees and floor debates in 2010, only to die in legislative limbo.
Portantino aides doubt a similar fate awaits his bill, despite its timing in the middle of a contentious budget battle.
"We are going to do everything in our ability to shepherd it through the system, which is why I took it up to the state Senate today," Portantino said. "Like Hank Stram said, `Let?s continue to matriculate the ball up the field."?
Not to be outdone, Donnelly reached back to a founding father to argue for the right to carry unloaded guns.
"Benjamin Franklin said, ?Those who would trade essential liberties for temporary security deserve neither."?
Copyright 2011 MediaNews Group, Inc. and Los Angeles Newspaper Group, Inc.
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