WASHINGTON – Some states have been more willing than others to allow citizens to exercise their Second Amendment right to bear arms.
But there’s one state that is considered dangerous even to visit due to its restrictions on that constitutional right.
The Second Amendment Foundation has issued a travel advisory warning gun owners not visit California.
“The state’s restrictive laws literally leave residents and visitors defenseless,” the group stated in a report.
SAF warns “law-abiding armed citizens that their civil rights could be in jeopardy due to that state’s restrictive gun control laws.”
“If you are licensed to carry in your home state, that license is not recognized in California,” explained SAF Founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb in a statement.
“It doesn’t matter how many background checks you’ve gone through or whether you took a gun safety course. Your license is no good in the Golden State, which suggests that your safety and the safety of your family are of no concern to state lawmakers or city administrators. You could be prosecuted for having a gun for personal protection, or you might get killed because you didn’t,” he said.
Gottlieb suggested it is unsafe to visit California.
Asked by WND for further comment, Gottlieb said “many parts of California can be dangerous due to prison overcrowding that the courts have ordered prisoners be released from.”
“Also, illegal criminal immigrants that are not turned over to ICE for deportation.”
In fact, people who travel to California with a gun, ignorant of the state’s laws, could end up in jail, he said.
“Over the last few years California has passed additional anti-gun and self-defense rights laws, and out-of-state gun owners could get snared by laws they have no knowledge of,” Gottlieb explained. “Bringing in a firearm from another state could be a crime if that gun is banned in California or not registered. California does not recognize permits to carry from other states.”
There is no recourse for non-residents who want to bring their guns to California, he said.
“As a traveler and non-resident you cannot register” your gun to comply with the law, Gottlieb said. “You must keep it in a hard-sided locked box best kept in your trunk.”
California is the only state for which SAF has issued a travel advisory. However, Gottlieb told WND gun owners should be “alarmed and careful about traveling to states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.”
All of those states have strict laws controlling firearms and do not reciprocate other states’ gun licenses.
A bill introduced in Congress would mandate national reciprocity of gun ownership licenses and concealed-carry licenses, freeing up Second Amendment rights for those who wish to travel from state to state without worrying that having a legal gun in their glove-box will result in their arrest.
The legislation would require states to recognize gun ownership permits and concealed carry permits issued in any state in the U.S. to their residents. That includes states that do not require a license to own a gun or to conceal carry, in which case any state-issued ID document, such as a driver’s license, would suffice.
