Attorney General Bonta: People Should Not Have to Fear Gun Violence While Riding on Public Transit

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Bonta today, as part of a multistate coalition, announced the filing of an amicus brief in support of Illinois in Schoenthal v. Raoul, a case pending in the Seventh Circuit involving a challenge to Illinois's ban on carrying firearms on public transportation.

"While people travel to work, to their homes, or with their children, they should not have fear gun violence," said Attorney General Bonta. "It is commonsense that loaded guns do not belong on buses, trains, or subways. States have the responsibility to protect their communities. The fact is: more guns in more places makes us less safe. The Supreme Court has acknowledged that states have the authority to enact reasonable restrictions to protect communities, including sensitive places restrictions on where guns may be carried. We support and recognize states' authority to enact commonsense laws to maintain public safety, including constitutional gun regulations that respond to local needs and concerns, while respecting Second Amendment rights."

The multistate amicus brief explains the importance of reasonable gun regulations that are consistent with the Second Amendment to help maintain public safety. It highlights the importance of restricting the carrying of firearms in certain sensitive places-including on public transportation-and discusses how these restrictions satisfy the Supreme Court's Second Amendment precedents. The brief also discusses the importance of flexibility in enacting reasonable gun regulations that respond to local needs and concerns.

Attorney General Bonta joins the Attorneys General of the District of Columbia, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont in filing the amicus brief.

A copy of the brief may be viewed here.