Beginning on New Year’s Day, 2024, a new California law prohibiting people from carrying firearms in most public places will take effect, as a result of a federal appeals court ruling on Saturday.
In an earlier ruling, issued on December 20, U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney had blocked the law from going into effect. In his ruling, Carney wrote that the new law “turns nearly every public place in California into a ‘sensitive place,’ effectively abolishing the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding and exceptionally qualified citizens to be armed and to defend themselves in public.”
But Saturday’s appeals court ruling put a temporary hold on Judge Carney’s ruling, allowing the law to go into effect on January 1 while the court case against the new California law proceeds.
The law, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September, applies to concealed-carry permit holders as well as non-permit holders. The “sensitive” areas where guns are prohibited include preschool or childcare facilities; public or private hospitals, nursing homes, medical offices, and urgent-care facilities; bus and train stations supported a whole or in part with public funds; public events that require the issuance of a government permit; playgrounds and youth centers; parks and athletic areas that are open to the public; public or private community colleges, colleges, and universities; stadiums and arenas; public libraries; amusement parks; zoos; and museums.
Firearms are also prohibited in churches, “unless the operator of the place of worship clearly and conspicuously posts a sign at the entrance of the building or on the premises indicating that licenseholders are permitted to carry firearms on the property. Signs shall be of a uniform design as prescribed by the Department of Justice and shall be at least four inches by six inches in size.”
To see the actual law, click here.
