Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks California Gun Law That Bans Concealed Carry in Most Public Places

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked California from enacting a law barring permit holders from carrying firearms in numerous public locations.

United States District Judge Cormac Carney of the Central District of California, appointed by former President George W. Bush, issued a temporary restraining order, halting the law from taking effect on Jan. 1, The Associated Press reported. “The right to self-defense and to defend one’s family is fundamental and inherent to our very humanity irrespective of any formal codification,” Carney wrote in his ruling.

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Half of the US No Longer Requires a Permit for Concealed Carry

Half of the states in the U.S. no longer require residents to hold a concealed carry permit to carry firearms in public after Alabama, Indiana, Georgia and Ohio passed laws in 2022 removing permit requirements.

On Monday, Alabama began enforcing its permitless carry law, becoming the 25th state to do so, while Indiana, Georgia and Ohio also passed laws this year allowing residents to concealed carry firearms without a permit. Over the last two years 10 states have moved to permitless carry, including Utah, Montana, Iowa, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas.

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New Jersey Passes New Gun Control Law

New Jersey’s state Senate narrowly passed a new concealed carry gun control legislation Monday, with one Democratic lawmaker joining Republicans in saying it is unconstitutional, according to NJ.com.

The bill would require gun owners who seek a concealed carry permit to purchase liability insurance and take training courses, while also increasing permit fees and restricting guns in “sensitive places” like schools, public parks, courthouses, bars and private property, according to the legislation. The bill received bipartisan criticism, with Republican state Sen. Michael Testa calling the bill “absolutely wrong” and Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Sacco saying it is unconstitutional and will face legal challenges, according to NJ.com.

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Ohio General Assembly Passes Law Eliminating Training and Permit Requirements for Concealed Carry Weapons

The Ohio Senate “concurred with changes” Wednesday made to Senate Bill 215 which will allow law abiding adults to carry a concealed handgun without obtaining a permit in areas where concealed carry is currently exercised, according to a press release by the Ohio Senate.

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Senate Bill Would Make Concealed Weapon Permit in Ohio Optional

Terry Johnson

A bill in the Ohio House that would make a concealed weapons permit optional and end the responsibility to promptly notify police officers a person is carrying a concealed weapon now has companion legislation in the Ohio Senate.

Sen. Terry Johnson, R-Scioto County, filed the bill earlier this month that goes along with House Bill 89, which made it out of committee earlier this year but has not been passed by the House. The same legislation passed the House last year but did not receive a vote in the Senate.

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Over 20 Million Hold Concealed Carry Permits as Supreme Court Test Case Looms

Person shooting a hand gun in a shooting range

More than 20 million Americans currently hold a permit to carry a concealed weapon, a historically high number that comes ahead of what will likely be a landmark Supreme Court ruling regarding carry rights under the Second Amendment.

The court last month said it would take up an appeal by two U.S. gun owners on the question of whether or not the Second Amendment protects an American’s right to carry a concealed firearm. Previous court rulings have affirmed that the amendment protects the individual right of American citizens to own guns.

The concealed carry question has eluded constitutional scrutiny thus far, even as the number of Americans possessing concealed permits has soared to historic levels.

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Ohio Bill Would Reduce Requirements for School Districts to Arm Employees

Hand gun with ammunition

An Ohio lawmaker, whose father served a school resource officer who chased an active shooter from a building, wants to make it easier for school districts to arm its employees.

Rep. Thomas Hall, R-Madison Township, introduced legislation that requires school employees to complete only concealed carry weapon training to be able to carry on gun on campus. School employees currently must complete more than 750 hours of peace officer training.

Conceal carry training is six hours of classroom instruction and two hours of on-range training.

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Bill Would Remove Concealed Handgun Carriers’ Responsibility to Promptly Notify Ohio Officers

A bill before the Ohio House would eliminate the requirement for those carrying a gun to tell law enforcement officers they have it. Instead, they only would need to mention it if asked.

Rep. Scott Wiggam, R-Wayne County, said the state’s current law is unclear and its penalties are too harsh. His bill, House Bill 89, changes that.

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Husted, Yost and Others Honor Life of Second Amendment Warrior Ken Hanson

DELAWARE, Ohio — Second Amendment supporters from around Ohio and beyond gathered Saturday at Blackwing Shooting Center to celebrate and memorialize one of gun owners’ greatest allies and advocates – L. Kenneth (Ken) Hanson. Hanson, co-founder of Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA), passed away Sunday, August 4, 2019. He was 49 years old.

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Ohio’s Blanchester Local School District Has Staff Trained and Armed to Protect Students

The Blanchester Board of Education in southwestern Ohio voted on Dec. 17, 2018 to allow trained staff to carry concealed firearms in their schools. The discussion occurred over a period of months with public input. The final decision by the board was unanimous. It went into effect this week with the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

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Milwaukee Transit Union Proposes to Arm Bus Drivers with Concealed-Carry Permits

by Whitney Tipton   Milwaukee transit union leaders are asking that bus drivers and mechanics be able to carry guns if they have concealed carry permits, citing security concerns and recent attacks by passengers. Union representatives representing the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 made the request Thursday that drivers and…

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Ohio Breaks Record in Both Concealed-Firearm Licenses Renewed and Taken Away

Ohio set a record for people who had their concealed-firearm licenses renewed in 2018, according to a report issued by the Attorney General’s Office. The report notes that there were also a record number of revocations in 2018. County sheriffs in Ohio reaffirmed 98,927 concealed-firearm licenses, which increased from 54,064…

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Tennessee Firearms Association Blisters Republican-led Legislature For ‘Pitiful’ 2nd Amendment Protections

Firearms blue

The recently ended legislative year in Nashville was “pitiful” in terms of protecting gun rights, a state firearms advocacy group says in a report. The “Tennessee Firearms Association 2018 Legislative Report and Review” takes the Republican super-majority in the General Assembly to task on 15 new laws and/or amendments to…

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