The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday challenging a unique set of concealed carry rules enforced by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California. The rules prohibit handgun carry permit holders from using red dot sights or weapon-mounted flashlights, alongside a complete ban on carrying single-action-only (SAO) semi-automatic rifles.
Unprecedented Restrictions
According to the SAF, the restrictions enforced by Sheriff David Livingston are entirely unique. The national gun rights organization stated that, to its knowledge, no other municipality or county in California or the rest of the United States forces similar limitations onto law-abiding citizens who hold valid carry permits.
The lawsuit, titled Second Amendment Foundation v. Contra Costa County, argues that these policies violate the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. The plaintiffs point specifically to precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which require gun regulations to align with the nation’s historical traditions.
“Contra Costa County is the only jurisdiction in America that forbids law-abiding CCW permit holders from using red dot sights, firearm-mounted lights, or carrying the venerable semi-automatic rifle platform,” said Kostas Moros, SAF Director of Legal Research and Education. “These are common, popular and safety-enhancing features and firearms used by millions of Americans and even adopted by multiple California law enforcement agencies. There is zero historical tradition supporting these restrictions, and they cannot survive scrutiny under Bruen.”
Geographic Double Standard
A core argument in the legal filing focuses on a geographic double standard created by California’s statewide carry laws. Because concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits are recognized across the entire state, visitors traveling into Contra Costa County with permits from other counties can legally carry firearms equipped with red dots, lights, or SAO mechanisms. Local residents holding permits issued by Contra Costa County, however, face criminal non-compliance if they do the same.
“These arbitrary policies single out Contra Costa County residents and prevent them from using the most effective and popular tools for lawful self-defense,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Law-abiding citizens should not be forced to choose between their safety and complying with an unconstitutional and outlier restriction that exists nowhere else in the country.”
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
