A bill that would make it illegal to openly carry an unloaded handgun in public was passed by a vote of 4-2 by the State Senate Public Safety Committee yesterday.

Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, who represents part of Montrose, first introduced the bill, called AB 144.

“Carrying an unloaded gun isn’t as innocent as it seems,” said Portantino in a prepared statement. “It only takes a few seconds to load a gun and fire.”

If the bill were passed, openly carrying an unloaded gun would be a misdemeanor. People in violation could be punished with up to one year in jail and/or a $1000 fine.

Open carry is currently legal in California with certain restrictions. For example, the firearm must be unconcealed, unloaded and may not be carried in prohibited areas like school zones, post offices, state parks and government buildings.

The bill will now go to Senate Appropriations for fiscal consideration, according to Wendy Gordon, a spokesperson for Portantino.

"When average Californians go to the mall, movies or Starbucks they shouldn’t face tense situations where law enforcement officials are called out to investigate openly carried firearms,” said Portantino in a prepared statement.  “Our limited resources should not be diverted from real crime situations. Open Carry puts the public in danger as well as law enforcement personnel.”

In an earlier article, Patch spoke with Sam Paredes, chief lobbyist for the Gun Owners for California group.

"It's a symbolic solution to a non-existent problem," Paredes said, noting that open carry has never been linked to causing a crime.

AB 144 has support from the California Police Chiefs Association, PORAC- representing rank-and-file police officers, and LA County Sheriff Lee Baca. In addition, the cities of Los Angeles, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence have also jumped on board to show support.