The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was long known as one of the most liberal courts in the nation. No more. In a 2-1 decision, the Court overturned California’s ban on open carry of guns. Two of the three judges were appointed by Trump. Expect more gun deaths. Expect to see people in restaurants and grocery stores packing a gun. Stay away from people with a hot temper.
The Los Angeles Times reported:
California’s ban on the open carry of firearms in most parts of the state is unconstitutional, a San Francisco-based federal appeals court ruled Friday.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the ban, which applied to counties with populations greater than 200,000, violates residents’ 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Under those regulations, 95% of the state’s population was subject to the ban.
The 2-1 opinion was supported by two appointees of President Trump, U.S. Circuit Judges Lawrence VanDyke and Kenneth Kiyul Lee. U.S. Circuit Judge N. Randy Smith, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, dissented.
VanDyke, writing for the majority, stated that California’s urban ban on open-carry permits does not stand under the Supreme Court’s landmark gun rights ruling New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen. That 2022 decision made it much easier to carry a gun in public by striking down laws that required people to show a special need for self-defense…
VanDyke wrote in his opinion that California’s open-carry ban fails this test.
“The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition,” he wrote. “It was clearly protected at the time of the Founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Well it is certainly Open Carry Season In Caracas Venezuela 🇻🇪 this morning.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-regime-change-in-venezuela-would-really-mean-trump-maduro
“Regime change is a political act of extraordinary consequence—one of the most complex, costly, and uncertain undertakings a nation can attempt.
When the United States treats regime change as a discrete military option rather than a whole-of-government, generational commitment, it repeats mistakes we have made very recently and ignores lessons we have paid dearly in blood, treasure, and reputation to learn.
Regime change in Venezuela is implicit advocating for a long, bloody, expensive commitment.”
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Glad you brought that up. I mean, nothing says “in Putin’s pocket” quite like attacking a Russian ally and kidnapping its leader. Sorry I ever doubted that.
Incidentally, I’m sure you’re all outraged about this unprovoked attack and you stand with Venezuela?
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Kidnapping the president of another country? He’s lawless and insane.
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Putin gives Trump free rein to control the Americas, so long as Trump allows Putin to kill as many Ukrainians as he wants. Then Poles, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians.
They want to divide the world into spheres of control.
They are both egomaniacs. Both lawless.
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Re ““The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition,” he wrote. “It was clearly protected at the time of the Founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.””
This is legal idiocy. People carried guns (what “to bear arms means) sure, but not to Walmart or to church. When white pioneers were busy stealing Indian land, they carried guns into the fields to work, because they didn’t know the umbrage of the Indians would boil over and they would attack.
These legal idiots have no idea of context. In my experience, when carrying a gun to a rifle range, the rifle was to be unloaded and in an approved gun case. That was the law, as drafted with the help of the NRA!
Unrestricted “open carry” is a recipe for disaster, but I guess these people are now captured by the same principle as were the leaders in Europe when they were gleeful to send their “excess population” to America or Australia. Today’s version is to create a situation in which those excess people get shot and killed and then we send “thoughts and prayers.”
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We better stock up on our thoughts and prayers.
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The think the president’s expediters/codependents should stick their thoughts and prayers where the sun doesn’t shine. I can’t wait until some of these Open Carriers open fire on the right wing nuts supporting their habit.
Please excuse my crudity, as I am pissed off.
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Open carry will lead to more carnage, and the statistics will reflect this reckless decision based on an interpretation of a document that was written in the 18th century.
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“The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition,” he wrote. “It was clearly protected at the time of the Founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
What BS! In the 18th and 19th century, the US was mostly a rural country where most of the population lived in isolated stations and the war that take land away from native Americas was still going on. The European invaders carried firearms, like muskets, but no machine guns since they didn’t exist then, because in most of the US there was no law enforcement like there is today.
Look what I just found with a simple search:
“No, it generally wasn’t legal to openly carry firearms in major U.S. cities in the 18th and 19th centuries; many cities and states enacted strict laws banning or restricting both concealed and open carry, especially in populated areas, to protect public safety, though exceptions existed for travelers or specific needs, with laws varying significantly by location and time.”
A few examples the search turned up:
Early Restrictions: Even before the “Wild West” era, many states and municipalities had laws restricting dangerous weapons for public safety, some dating back to the 1700s.
Focus on Concealed Carry: Many Eastern and Southern states specifically outlawed concealed weapons early on, often allowing open carry, but this distinction blurred over time.
Urban vs. Rural: Densely populated areas typically had stricter rules against carrying weapons than frontier or rural areas.
Examples of Bans:
Boston (1746): Fined and imprisoned those who fired guns in the city.
Tombstone, AZ (1880s): Banned carrying weapons altogether.
Dodge City, KS (1878): Banned carrying guns in town.
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