{"id":2529189,"date":"2026-01-03T15:55:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T20:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9th-circuit-rules-against-open-carry-ban-in-most-california-counties\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T15:56:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T20:56:50","slug":"9th-circuit-rules-against-open-carry-ban-in-most-california-counties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9th-circuit-rules-against-open-carry-ban-in-most-california-counties\/","title":{"rendered":"9th Circuit rules against open carry ban in most California counties"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F9th-circuit-rules-against-open-carry-ban-in-most-california-counties%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2529189&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled Friday that California&#8217;s ban on openly carrying firearms is unconstitutional in counties with populations over 200,000 &#8211; counties that contain about 95% of the state&#8217;s population. A three-judge panel (N. Randy Smith, Kenneth K. Lee and Lawrence VanDyke) applied the Supreme court&#8217;s 2022 Bruen test, finding open carry was historically protected and that California failed to identify a relevant ancient tradition of similar regulation. The decision partially affirmed and partially reversed a 2023 district-court ruling in the lawsuit brought by gun owner Mark Baird against Attorney General Rob Bonta. The court rejected baird&#8217;s challenge for less-populous counties because he waived that argument; those counties may continue using the state&#8217;s open-carry licensing scheme. Judge smith issued a partial concurrence and partial dissent, arguing the restrictions in more populous counties are constitutional and that the majority misread Bruen. California&#8217;s attorney general said the state is reviewing the opinion and considering next steps.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">9th Circuit rules against ban on open carry of firearms in most California counties<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2462593\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square)&nbsp;&ndash; The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled on Friday against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\">California&rsquo;s<\/a> ban on open carry of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/firearms\/\">firearms<\/a> in most counties.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/san-francisco\/\">San Francisco-based<\/a> court&rsquo;s ruling declared the ban unconstitutional in counties with a population exceeding 200,000. Those counties make up 95% of the state.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4399108\/doj-seeks-records-minnesota-vouching-voter-registration-system\/\">DOJ seeks records about Minnesota &#8216;vouching&#8217; voter registration system<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4399568\/judge-jan-6-pipe-bomb-suspect-remain-detained-before-trial\/\">Federal judge orders Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect to remain detained ahead of trial<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4375487\/left-wing-dc-group-coaches-residents-on-how-to-influence-outcomes-on-a-jury\/\">Left-wing DC group coaches residents on how to &#8216;influence outcomes&#8217; on a jury<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>According to the written ruling, the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov\/datastore\/opinions\/2026\/01\/02\/24-565.pdf\">panel of three 9th Circuit judges<\/a>&nbsp;found the ban &ldquo;is inconsistent with the Second Amendment&rsquo;s right to bear arms as applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.&rdquo; The ruling came in the lawsuit that gun owner Mark Baird filed against California Attorney General Rob Bonta. It partially affirmed and partially reversed a 2023 ruling by Judge Kimberly J. Mueller of the U.S. District Court for Eastern California.<\/p>\n<p>The Center Square reached out Friday to the state Attorney General&rsquo;s Office, which said, &ldquo;We are committed to defending California&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-use-colorado-mass-shooting-to-spark-renewed-calls-for-gun-control\/\" title=\"Democrats Use Colorado Mass Shooting To Spark Renewed Calls For Gun Control\">commonsense gun laws<\/a>. We are reviewing the opinion and considering all options.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The 9th Circuit panel, which consisted of judges N. Randy Smith, Kenneth K. Lee and Lawrence VanDyke, said they applied the standard set forth in a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court case, New York State Rifle &amp; Pistol Association v. Bruen. They noted open carry is part of the nation&rsquo;s history and tradition.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was clearly protected at the time of the Founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment,&rdquo; the judges wrote in their ruling. &ldquo;There is no record of any <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >law restricting open carry<\/a> at the Founding, let alone a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gun-rights-group-amends-lawsuit-to-lower-tennessee-constitutional-carry-age-to-18-after-texas-victory\/\" title=\"Gun Rights Group Amends Lawsuit To Lower Tennessee Constitutional Carry Age To 18+ After Texas Victory\">distinctly similar historical regulation<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>California failed to present evidence of &ldquo;a relevant historical tradition of firearm regulation with respect to California&rsquo;s urban open-carry ban,&rdquo; according to the ruling.<\/p>\n<p>The judges said they found Bruen applied to counties with populations exceeding 200,000. But they said they concluded Baird, the plaintiff, waived his &ldquo;as-applied challenge by not contesting the district court&rsquo;s dismissal&rdquo; in regard to counties with fewer than 200,000 people. They said they affirm the district court&rsquo;s rejection of Baird&rsquo;s challenge to the open-carry licensing scheme in the less-populated counties, which may issue open-carry permits.<\/p>\n<p>One of the judges, Smith, partially concurred and partially dissented with the majority opinion. He said the restrictions on open carry in more populous counties are constitutional.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4356551\/justice-department-sues-dc-government-ar-15-ban\/\">DOJ SUES DC GOVERNMENT OVER AR-15 BAN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My colleagues got this case half right,&rdquo; Smith wrote. &ldquo;The majority&nbsp;opinion correctly holds that California&rsquo;s open carry licensing&nbsp;scheme is facially constitutional under Bruen. However, my&nbsp;colleagues misread Bruen to prohibit California&rsquo;s other restrictions on open carry.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We should have affirmed the district court,&rdquo; Smith said, referring to the entire lower court ruling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>9th Circuit voids CA open-carry ban in cities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2869,"featured_media":2529190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/open-carry.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[46084,4045,52020,46504,32209],"class_list":["post-2529189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-9th-circuit","tag-california","tag-gun-rights-2","tag-open-carry","tag-second-amendment"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/open-carry.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2529189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2529189"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2529189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2529193,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2529189\/revisions\/2529193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2529190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2529189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2529189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2529189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}