San Diego, California – A federal judge in San Diego has ruled that California’s longstanding restriction on concealed carry applications from non-residents is unconstitutional, marking a significant victory for gun rights advocates and opening the door for out-of-state visitors to apply for concealed carry permits in the state.
In a 12-page decision issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Cathy Bencivengo sided with the Firearms Policy Coalition and three gun owners from Idaho, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania who brought the case. The plaintiffs argued that while they are legally licensed to carry concealed firearms in their home states, California’s laws barred them from even applying for the same right when visiting the Golden State — an exclusion they said violated both the Second and 14th Amendments.
“The provisions barring nonresidents from applying for CCW licenses violate the Constitution,” Bencivengo wrote in her opinion, concluding that California’s residency requirement cannot stand in light of the Second Amendment’s text or the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation…