But he says the Supreme Court might eventually take up the subject if an appeals court in Washington, D.C., rules the other way.
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The Foundation for Moral Law, an Alabama legal foundation dedicated to the defense of the Constitution as intended by its Framers, sharply criticized a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that upheld a California law which curtails the right to carry concealed firearms. The court ruling states that the 2nd Amendment does not include the right to concealed carry.
Here in Atlanta, a person can walk into Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with a concealed gun in a case – or for that matter, a loaded assault-style rifle carried openly.
In California, applicants who wish to carry concealed handguns in public must show they have good cause before receiving permits.
“It’s our freedom as Americans to be able to carry weapons”, explained Nathan Smith.
“We hold that the Second Amendment does not preserve or protect a right of a member of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public”, wrote Judge William Fletcher in his majority opinion. Judge N. Randy Smith, Judge Carlos Bea, Judge Consuelo Callahan and Judge Barry Silverman dissented. “California law bans open carry, so the constitutionality of that ban will now have to be tested”.
While disappointed by the Ninth Circuit’s decision on Thursday, the gun owners in the case plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, after the 2014 decision, California Attorney General Kamala Harris appealed the ruling and the court voted to re-hear the case, this time with more judges participating.
The 7-4 ruling upheld a California law that enforces strict regulation on who can be granted a concealed carry permit, but what does the ruling mean for people who want to carry concealed in the Gem State?
Many counties in California relaxed their gun permit rules after a 2014 Ninth Circuit ruling said the Second Amendment protects carrying a weapon in public.
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Tom Hagel, professor of law emeritus at University of Dayton, said the law will have “zero impact” on Ohio.
