California legislators will consider a new law within days to keep dangerous people from carrying concealed weapons in public. Gov. Gavin Newsom and his top law enforcement official announced the plan after a U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidated the most populous state’s current law.
The high court struck down a New York law requiring that people seeking a license to carry a gun in public demonstrate a particular need, such as a direct threat to their safety. California is among a half-dozen states with a similar requirement. Attorney General Rob Bonta said the high court’s ruling still leaves states with the right to limit concealed carry permits to those who meet legal standards to safely possess firearms. Lawmakers are amending legislation to expand the qualifications people must have to obtain a concealed carry permit, and to expand the places where no weapons may be carried.
The revised bill will get its first hearing Tuesday, June 28 and lawmakers hope to send it quickly to Newsom for his signature.
