SACRAMENTO, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A bill banning the open carrying of guns in California had the backing of law enforcement, Gov. Jerry Brown said Monday, explaining why he signed it.
The law is one of three Brown signed making the state one of the few where gun laws are becoming more stringent, the Los Angeles Times said. The other two require the state to keep a record of long gun sales and fund a campaign to find and seize guns owned by convicted criminals.
"I listened to the California police chiefs," Brown said in a statement on the open carry law.
In California, gun owners can now display weapons openly as long as they are unloaded. Police chiefs say gun advocates who openly carried weapons into coffee shops ended up wasting police time because of calls they received from other customers.
Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, predicted more people will apply for concealed-carry permits.
The Republican gains in the 2010 midterms were followed by a wave of laws aimed at easing restrictions on ownership and carrying of guns. Forty-two states allow open carry, and new laws include one in Florida banning doctors from discussing the health implications gun ownership with their patients.
