Guns in Public: Exploring California's Open Carry Policy

Lori Saldana, California State Assembly Member; Author AB1934
Karen Arntzen, California Chapter Services Coordinator, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Yih-Chau Chang, Press Secretary, Responsible Citizens of California
Adnan Shahab, Republican candidate for State Assembly; Open carry advocate
Josh Richman, Politics and Legal Affairs Reporter, Oakland Tribune and Bay Area News Group—Moderator

Open carry policies around the country are being ardently tested and fiercely debated. Contra Costa County has become a hotbed for this controversy, hosting some of the most active open carry movements locally. Open carry groups have been congregating at different locations to demonstrate their right to carry unloaded, unconcealed fire arms in public. Others have come out en masse to protest this right. There is now even a proposed bill, AB 1934, that would make it a misdemeanor to openly carry an unloaded handgun in specified public areas. As the state struggles with what’s right—constitutionally and morally—we take a close look at this controversy from different sides.

This program was recorded live by the Commonwealth Club in Lafayette California on June 17, 2010