The #NRA is doing PLENTY in #California:

The #NRA is doing PLENTY in #California: https://t.co/y6eX0TWHnJ #2A #goodread

— NRA (@NRA) December 8, 2016

New GOP group in Congress prepares 'pro-gun agenda' https://t.co/Rs2pMvXyTt pic.twitter.com/EgOmC4At28

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 9, 2016

Anti-gun politicians like @GavinNewsom have no clue, apparently, that CCW permit holders are among the most law-abiding people in the U.S. https://t.co/Uvqp8rBjGb

— NRA (@NRA) December 9, 2016

Maine to allow carrying of concealed guns without permit

LePage signs bill to allow concealed weapons in Maine without permits: The bill's sponsor says, 'All this does is… http://t.co/6mvxmOGPjh

— POLS Portland (@POLSPortland) July 9, 2015

Trending: Maine to allow carrying of concealed guns without permit http://t.co/AvgJjBxcxU pic.twitter.com/2pysuB3lx9

— WMTW TV (@WMTWTV) July 9, 2015

Concealed gun ruling stands: Foes can't fight loosening of California permit standards

◼ A court ruling that dramatically loosened California's restrictions on concealed firearms came closer to taking effect Wednesday, as an appeals court quashed legal maneuvering that might have staved it off. - San Jose Mercury News

NOT OVER YET. KAMALA HARRIS APPEALS NINTH CIRCUIT CONCEALED CARRY RULING

◼ On February 27 California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris "filed a petition in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals... urging the court to review and reverse its decision in Peruta v. County of San Diego." - Awr HawkinsBREITBART

On February 13 Breitbart News reported the court struck down the "good cause" requirement for concealed carry permit applicants in CA. The court in essence ruled that the "mere desire to carry a gun, when applying for a concealed carry permit," is sufficient.

Peruta was heard by a three-judge panel, and Harris is asking the court to revisit the decision and reverse it.

◼ California attorney general tries to overturn gun carry ruling in 9th Circuit - Emily Miller-The Washington Times

Kamala Harris uses dirty tactics to get Peruta v. San Diego County reversed

Chuck Michel is the west coast counsel for the National Rifle Association, which funded the lawsuit. He said Ms. Harris‘ motion to intervene was far out of line because her office wasn’t part of the lawsuit, despite repeated requests from both plaintiffs and Sheriff Gore to get involved.

“They are trying to improperly influence the court,” Mr. Michel said in an interview. “The are stretching the rules to file in order to get their arguments in front of the court in the hopes that a liberal judge will get the message and ask for a vote himself.”

Since Sheriff Gore did not ask for review, the only way for a hearing by a larger panel of justices in the 9th Circuit is if one asks to go en banc.

California must allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms in public, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, striking down the core of the state's permit system for handguns.

A three justice panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled 2-1 that a state can restrict "open carry" or "concealed carry", but it is unconstitutional to ban both because the 2nd Amendment phrase "and bear" actually means something: "but carry for a particular purpose -- confrontation."

This one's going to the Supremes, maybe. Since there was a dissent, it might have to go to the entire bench of the 9th Circuit first...

◼ NINTH CIRCUIT STRIKES DOWN CA LAW RESTRICTING CONCEALED CARRY - Awr Hawkins/Breitbart via Kitchen Cabinet
◼ 9th Circuit rejects California “good cause” limitation on 2nd Amendment carry right - Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion

The Ninth Circuit gets it right in holding that California cannot both bar open carry and crimp the ability of law-abiding citizens to get concealed carry permits.

◼ Court strikes California law restricting concealed weapons - Bob Egelko/SF Chronicle via Tim Donnelly

In a 2-1 decision, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said San Diego County violates the Constitution's Second Amendment by requiring residents to show "good cause" - and not merely the desire to protect themselves - to obtain a concealed-weapons permit.

State law requires applicants to demonstrate good cause, as well as good moral character, to carry concealed handguns, while leaving the permit process up to each city and county. The ruling, if it stands, would require local governments to issue permits to anyone who claims a need for self-protection.

"The right to bear arms includes the right to carry an operable firearm outside the home for the lawful purpose of self-defense," said Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain in the majority opinion....

The ban on openly carrying guns made it impossible for most law-abiding citizens in counties like SanDiego to "bear arms" for self-defense, O'Scannlain said in Thursday's ruling....

"The right to self-defense doesn't end at your threshold," (C.D. Michel, lawyer for the National Rifle and Pistol Foundation) said. He said the ruling was "probably the biggest Second Amendment win" since the Supreme Court's 2008 ruling and a follow-up decision in 2010.

◼ Federal Court Just Dealt a Major Blow to Anti-Gun Advocates in California - Jason Howerton/The Blaze

◼ Court gives NRA a big win for concealed carry gun rights in California - Washington Times

Petura v. San Diego sets up Supreme Court to resolve conflict between circuits

The National Rifle Association (NRA) funded the plaintiffs’ legal battle. Paul Clement was the lead attorney in the case and argued it before the Ninth Circuit.

“One of reasons the NRA thought this was a good case to bring was precisely the combination of California state law banning open carry and San Diego policy on licensing for concealed carry made it quite definitive that an ordinary, lawful citizen with an interest in self defense couldn’t carry no matter what,” Mr. Clement told me in an interview late Thursday.

“A poorly crafted internal memo meant to highlight editorial discussions and planning incorrectly indicated that such a database was being planned; it has been considered and rejected.”

◼ Newspaper conglomerate considers REJECTS building massive database of gun owners - Daily Caller

A U.S. newspaper conglomerate has considered building state-by-state databases of people who have the right to carry concealed firearms.

Civitas Media, which owns 88 newspapers in 12 states and more than 100 total publications, is planning to use public records requests to build their databases, according to an internal Civitas email obtained by the Buckeye Firearms Association in Ohio.

Civitas director of content Jim Lawitz emailed content directors, managers, and producers in a January 19 email, saying that exploring the “explosion” of conceal and carry permits in the U.S. will be one of the company’s short-term objectives.

UPDATE: Following the publication of this report, Civitas Media announced that it rejected its internal proposal to build a database of concealed carry permit holders.

Detroit police chief: Want crime to drop? Start carrying

◼ Detroit police chief: Legal gun owners can deter crime - The Detroit News

If more citizens were armed, criminals would think twice about attacking them, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Thursday.

Urban police chiefs are typically in favor of gun control or reluctant to discuss the issue, but Craig on Thursday was candid about how he’s changed his mind.

“When we look at the good community members who have concealed weapons permits, the likelihood they’ll shoot is based on a lack of confidence in this Police Department,” Craig said at a press conference at police headquarters, adding that he thinks more Detroit citizens feel safer, thanks in part to a 7 percent drop in violent crime in 2013.

◼ (James) Craig has some advice for his fellow citizens in Motor City if they really want a drop in crime — arm yourselves:

Craig wasn’t always in favor of carry permits. While serving in Los Angeles, where permits are issued on a notoriously miserly (and some would add arbitrary) manner, Craig thought that disarmament was the answer. It wasn’t until he went to a carry-friendly jurisdiction that he understood the difference:

Craig said he started believing that legal gun owners can deter crime when he became police chief in Portland, Maine, in 2009.

“Coming from California (Craig was on the Los Angeles police force for 28 years), where it takes an act of Congress to get a concealed weapon permit, I got to Maine, where they give out lots of CCWs (carrying concealed weapon permits), and I had a stack of CCW permits I was denying; that was my orientation.

“I changed my orientation real quick. Maine is one of the safest places in America. Clearly, suspects knew that good Americans were armed.”

It’s not the first time that Craig has endorsed carry permits. Two weeks ago, the Detroit News notes, he told a local radio show that responsibly armed citizens act as a deterrent, in a city that can clearly use one. Even though the murder rate has dropped, Detroit had as many homicides in 2013 as New York City, which has more than ten times its population. Chicago had only 29 more than Detroit despite having nearly four times the population. It’s worth noting that both New York City and Chicago have extraordinary restrictions on gun ownership, let alone carry permits, and Chicago routinely ranks among the worst American metropolitan areas for homicides and violent crime.

◼ New Study Demolishes Almost Every Gun Control Myth - Mediaite

The study, “An examination of the effects of concealed weapons laws and assault weapons bans on state-level murder rates,” conducted by Quinnipiac University economist Mark Gius, examined nearly 30 years of statistics and concluded that stricter gun laws do not result in a reduction in gun violence. In fact, Gius found the opposite – that a proliferation of concealed carry permits can actually reduce incidents of gun crime.