AB 7: Firearms: open carry.

Existing law prohibits, with certain exceptions, openly carrying an unloaded handgun outside a vehicle while in or upon a public place or public street of an incorporated city or city and county or while in or upon a public place or public street within a prohibited area, being defined as any area in which it is unlawful to discharge a firearm.

Existing law also prohibits, with certain exceptions, carrying an unloaded firearm that is not a handgun, such as a shotgun or rifle, while in an incorporated city or city and county but does not prohibit the carrying of an unloaded firearm other than a handgun in unincorporated areas of a county.

This bill would prohibit the carrying of, and make it a crime to carry, an unloaded firearm other than a handgun while in or upon a public place or public street within a prohibited area located within the unincorporated area of a county.

By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.