Second Amendment Foundation attorney Kostas Moros broke this news a little early on today's Bearing Arms Cam & Company, but now the paperwork has been signed and SAF's lawsuit against the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department has officially been settled.
From SAF's press release:
Under the agreement, the Sheriff’s Office will withdraw its prohibitions on red-dot sights, weapon-mounted lights and semiautomatic single-action 1911 and 2011 platform pistols carried under a county CCW license. The office will update its concealed-carry website within 10 days to reflect the change. SAF was joined in SAF v. Contra Costa County by private citizens Andrew Moore and James Treuel who were represented by John W. Dillon of the Dillon Law Group.
“A sheriff does not get to invent a shorter list of approved handguns and accessories than the Constitution allows,” said SAF Director of Legal Research and Education and attorney of record in the case Kostas Moros. “Even though red-dot sights, weapon lights and 1911 and 2011 pistols are in common use for lawful self-defense, Contra Costa treated them as contraband. This settlement ends that unlawful practice, and we are pleased the County saw the error if its ways and resolved these issues.”
There are still some wonky requirements in the county. Single-action handguns beyond the 1911 and 2011 pistols are still verboten under the sheriff's rules, for instance, but at least the county doesn't charge nearly $2,000 to apply for a license like San Jose. Contra Costa's cost is almost reasonable: $80 paid upon submission of the concealed carry application, and another $80 once you've been approved. That's still three times more than the cost of my concealed carry license in Virginia, but it's better than a lot of other counties in California.
SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut says that given the fact the group has over a dozen active lawsuits in California, it's no surprise they had to sue Contra Costa County's sheriff to fix the glaring problems.
Thankfully this case didn’t require the usual song and dance and provides a practical win for people who already have, or are seeking, a Contra Costa carry license. Those citizens are now able to carry a reliable pistol with the sights and lights that make it safer to use without fear of prosecution. We are glad the Sheriff’s Office agreed to withdraw these restrictions and will now allow residents of the county to exercise even more of their Second Amendment rights.
And because Contra Costa County settled, that means SAF can now dedicate more resources to those other active lawsuits, both in California and across the country.
This is a big win, and I appreciate Moros letting the Bearing Arms Cam & Company audience know that the settlement was 99 percent certain even though the final signatures hadn't come through when we spoke earlier today. California counties have imposed a host of unreasonable restrictions on our right to keep and bear arms, but Second Amendment advocates are going to keep chipping away at them until the entire unconstitutional framework comes tumbling down.
You can check out the entire conversation with Kostas, including his sneak peek at today's settlement, in the video window below.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun-grabbing schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member