OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement after filing a petition for rehearing en banc in Baird v. Bonta, a case currently pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A recent ruling from a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit concluded that California's ban on the open carry of firearms in counties with populations of 200,000 or more people is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.

"This is beyond concerning; it is deeply wrong," said Attorney General Bonta. "Allowing the open carry of firearms in densely populated counties creates unnecessary anxiety, terrorizes children, and instills fear throughout our communities. The number one job of the California Department of Justice is to protect the public's safety. The open presence of these weapons in urban environments does not make the public safer; it spreads panic and destabilizes daily life. I strongly urge the court to rehear this case so that California can continue to prevent fear, chaos, and intimidation from taking hold on the streets of our largest cities."

A copy of the brief can be found here.