Q: Good afternoon Rick, I was having a discussion with a friend regarding open carry. We talked about "The Black Panther Party" and the question came up, "are the laws still the same today?" Can you walk around open carrying a rifle ( AR-15, AK-47 etc.) ? Also, what if the police approach you? How do you respond correctly?
A: The Mulford Act, unofficially known as the "Panther Bill," sought to repeal the California law that permitted its citizens to carry loaded weapons in public places so long as the weapons were openly displayed. During that era, California Black Panther members routinely open carried arms as part of their neighborhood safety patrols.The Mulford Act was passed by the California legislature and signed into law by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1967. So, the answer to your question, as asked, is YES. California's firearm laws were modified in 1967 primarily to halt the Black Panthers from openly carrying loaded firearms.
It was still legal to open carry unloaded firearms. Moreover, California's laws have recently further eroded open carry rights, as only a relatively short time ago, it was still legal to publicly bear an unloaded firearm. That changed in 2011 when CA Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill to outlaw the open carry of unloaded handguns in California. Further, in 2012 another CA anti-OC law was expanded to ban openly carried and unloaded long guns.
Disclaimer
You are strongly encouraged to not only conduct your own independent research but to also consult with a competent and qualified attorney before acting upon any information in this article. Laws covering self-defense, lethal force, firearms, and the Michigan Concealed Pistol License and their enforcement are always subject to change due to laws being amended, politics conducted in the Prosecutor's Office, and election results at all levels of government. Ignorance of the law, legally speaking, is not a valid excuse for running afoul of it. The penalties and fines imposed upon violators of firearms related offenses are stiff and severe.
About The Author
Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school - Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit. Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, UPI, NRAnews, Guns Digest, Tactical-Life, The Truth About Guns, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, The Detroit News, The Detroit Examiner, WJLB, WGPR, and the UrbanShooterPodcast.
For more info about free shooting lessons for women and Michigan CCW Classes, please contact:
Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit
Web: http://www.detroitccw.com.
Email: info@detroitccw.com
Phone: 313.733.74
If this information was useful for you, would you please make a small recurring donation to support this site?
I do most of my blogging and article writing in coffee shops because there are too many distractions at home.
No comments:
Post a Comment