Tanu Henry, Magaly Muñoz and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media
Senate Bill (SB) 2, California’s controversial conceal-carry permit law that took effect Jan. 1, has been blocked for a second time now.
SB 2 prohibits gun owners from carrying their concealed firearms at most public places and gatherings, including religious institutions, banks, hospitals, parks and other venues.
On Jan. 6, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a temporary hold on a lower court injunction that blocked the law. This most recent decision upholds a Dec. 20 ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney that blocked the law.
Before that, on Dec. 22, Attorney Gen. Rob Bonta filed an emergency motion appealing Carney’s decision. A three-judge panel of a different Ninth Circuit Court Appeal granted Bonta’s request, allowing the law to take effect, at least temporarily.
The same day, the law was blocked from taking effect, Gov. Newsom’s office shared the findings of a new survey that reports California’s gun laws are working.
Conducted by Everytown USA, a gun safety advocacy group, the survey ranks California and New York at the top of its list for having the lowest rates of gun violence.
“We compared gun policy across the country, scoring every state on the strength of its gun laws and comparing it with its rate of gun violence,” the introduction to the report reads.
“In states where elected officials have taken action to pass gun safety laws, fewer people die by gun violence,” it continues.