Certainly the timing couldn't be better for a San Jose organization called the Golden State Second Amendment Council (GS2AC) that has been pushing to add guaranteed gun rights to the state constitution since 2000. While the second amendment of the United States Constitution grants the 'right to bear arms' (the actual definition of this guarantee, of course, is still the subject of endless debate), California law only mentions the right to 'self-defense.'
'I guess you're supposed to protect your life with your bare hands or something,' grumbles Don Kilmer, a local--and liberal--attorney who believes San Francisco had the right intention in promoting same-sex marriages but has gone off-track with gun control. Kilmer is leading the GS2AC effort to get an initiative on the state ballot this November.
His group's proposal would guarantee law-abiding Californians the right to own guns, despite the regulatory actions of local governments. The amendment would not cover criminals, minors or the mentally incompetent.
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