Concealed-weapons ruling an assault on public safety

California's long-standing effort to reduce gun violence by largely outlawing the packing of guns in public places has come under serious challenge. A divided panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that its restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons violated the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The good news is that this 2-1 ruling is not the final word. It will be put on hold while the full appeals court decides whether to review it.

Also, it must be emphasized that this decision is an outlier among circuit-court reviews of concealed-weapons laws in New York, New Jersey and Maryland.

"There's no precedent to this court's decision that there's a right to carry a concealed weapon, especially without any need or cause," said Jonathan Lowy of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence ...

http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Concealed-weapons-ruling-an-assault-on-public-5233484.php