Orange County, Calif., Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has relented—sort of—in her anti-Peruta insistence that county residents show “good cause” before receiving a concealed-carry permit. About 2,500 Orange County residents had applied when the California Supreme Court voted to suspend their (own) ruling and rehear the case. 1,700 applicants were far enough along that their good cause of “self-defense” will stand.
The remaining 800 must “produce documentation of protective orders, threats or past attacks” to proceed.
The vast majority of cities and states have moved away from such a “may-issue” system, a mechanism often used to deny virtually all permits. This “none for you” attitude is now insupportable: Decades of data demonstrate that permit holders are extraordinarily law-abiding. We can only hope that the en banc review of Peruta this summer will reinstate the decision and allow background-checked and trained Californians to protect themselves and loved ones.
