Media Advisory
Statement from
San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO), Orange County Gun Owners (OCGO), and Inland Empire Gun Owners (IEGO)

Background:

  • On Feb. 1, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and State Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank), joined by gun-control advocates, held a press conference to announce renewed legislative efforts to limit where law-abiding, sane-and-trained gun owners with a legally-authorized, CCW (concealed-carry weapon) permit can carry guns.
  • In a state that already has some of the nation’s toughest gun laws (more than 100 gun laws, the most of any state, according to The New York Times), the California Democratic lawmakers vowed to pass more laws adding more restrictions.
  • The proposed legislation would ban legal gun owners from carrying concealed guns in nearly every public space, along with privately-owned businesses that are open to the public. The rule would not apply if the business owner puts up a sign that says concealed guns are allowed.
  • The latest proposed legislation — authored by Portantino — also would ban anyone younger than 21 from having a CCW permit to carry their gun concealed and would require all CCW holders to have more training, including how to safely store and transport guns.
  • This latest gun-control legislation, said supporters, is in response to recent multiple mass shootings in the state. It also comes five months after a similar bill died amid Democratic infighting in Sacramento.

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Statements from Michael Schwartz, SDCGO executive director:

  • “Sane, trained, law-abiding gun owners vehemently oppose Governor Newsom’s anti-Second Amendment proposal to leave potential victims defenseless and in danger across the state.”
  • “This attempt is little more than an extremist reaction to last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down restrictive California style concealed-carry laws because they are unconstitutional. They can’t are trying to circumvent the Supreme Court’s clear decision which sided with the people’s ability to protect their life outside their home from violent criminals.”
  • “Concealed-carry had nothing to do with the recent California mass murders involving firearms and it’s untrue that restricting people’s ability to self-defense will prevent ‘mass shootings’. California has the most restrictive gun laws in the nation and the extremism on display by the latest proposal, SB2, is an admission that California’s gun laws aren’t working.”
  • “If the governor signs this unconstitutional legislation, SB2, it will be nearly impossible for a CCW holder to carry their firearm anywhere in the state except inside their home. Designating the entire state as a gun-free zone will disarm victims and empower violent criminals Concealed carry holders are not the problem, criminals are.”
  • “With over 90% of ‘mass shootings’ occurring in a government imposed gun-free zone, restricting the rights of sane, trained and law-abiding gun owners with a CCW will actually make living in California less safe. It will make it easier for criminals to commit horrific acts of violence. It will leave victims of a gun crime as more defenseless.
  • “It’s a fact that 0.2 percent, or one-fifth of 1 percent, of people who are killed with a firearm are part of a mass shooting. Meanwhile, 62 percent of people who die with a firearm are suicides. The number of people having a mental health crisis who use a firearm to take their life, is a greater number than the number of accidental shootings, criminal shootings and defensive-gun-use shootings combined. Despite this, California has no plan and no help for people experiencing a mental health crisis. If the governor truly cared about people and good public policy, he would concentrate on effective programs to help those experiencing a mental health crisis rather than divisively go after law-abiding gun owners.”
  • “Multiple government-based or academic based, scientific studies show gun owners will uses a firearm to either stop or prevent a violent crime between one million and three million times every year. Taking away a victim’s ability to defend their life can’t prevent mass shootings, but might make them easier for criminals to commit.”

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News Media Contact:

Michael Schwartz, SDCGO/IEGO/OCGO, (858) 335-9320.

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Founded in 2015, San Diego County Gun Owners is a registered political action committee and advocacy organization focused on organizing the gun industry and protecting the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to bear arms. Combined, SDCGO, IEGO, and OCGO have over 4,000 individuals, across southern California. SDCGO/IEGO/OCGO feature a diverse and inclusive membership with representatives from the LGBTQ, Latino, African American, Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

While every U.S. state has a Second Amendment PAC, along with several nationwide gun rights PACs, SDCGO is believed to be the America’s first, strictly local, countywide Second Amendment advocacy organization providing news and information on new gun laws, along with expanding and restoring Second Amendment rights. SDCGO, IEGO, and OCGO sponsored events include gun safety classes, sporting clay shoots, social gatherings, a weekly live Sunday afternoon radio show and pistol, rifle and shotgun experiences taught by professional instructors. For more information, visit www.sandiegocountygunowners.com , www.orangecountygunowners.com , www.inlandempiregunowners.com

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