Ninth Circuit Strikes Down California’s Open-Carry Ban: A Massive Win for Gun Rights

“The state cannot simply erase our right to self-defense just because it happens to dislike that right,” thundered Mark Baird outside the courthouse, celebrating what Second Amendment advocates are hailing as a landmark victory. In a stunning decision shaking the nation’s most gun-restrictive state to its core, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down California’s sweeping open-carry ban for urban counties, declaring it flat-out unconstitutional and an affront to American liberty.

California’s Gun Control Humbled by Courtroom Thunderbolt

The case-known officially as Baird v. Bonta-was filed by gun owner and activist Mark Baird. He challenged the California law that banned open carry of firearms in any county with more than 200,000 residents-a law that covered a jaw-dropping 95% of California’s population. The stakes were sky-high: the Golden State’s hard-line anti-gun regime was pitted against the plain words of the Constitution and the historical traditions of the American people.

The three-judge appellate panel didn’t mince words. Writing for the majority, Judge Lawrence VanDyke-an ironclad Second Amendment defender and President Trump appointee-dismantled the state’s arguments. “There is no record of any law restricting open carry at the Founding, let alone ‘a distinctly similar historical regulation,'” wrote Judge VanDyke in a passage that will echo from Sacramento to Washington DC. VanDyke’s reasoning built on the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, which required gun laws to match the nation’s long-standing traditions-not progressive posturing.

The Court’s ruling means that from Los Angeles to San Francisco, citizens can once more exercise their God-given right to bear arms openly in public, pending further appeals and political wrangling.

This is a complete reversal of the 2023 lower-court ruling that had previously kept the ban in place, a move praised by anti-gun lobbyists and California’s progressive elite. But now, the tide has turned.

Open Carry Is the American Standard-California’s Ban Exposed

For years, California politicians painted open carry as an aberration-something for the Wild West, not modern society. But the facts have obliterated that narrative. Judge VanDyke’s majority opinion pointed out that more than 30 states already allow open carry. Until just a decade ago, even California let citizens carry holstered handguns for self-defense, before Sacramento’s politicians cynically yanked that freedom away in 2012. The historic precedent supporting public carry is overwhelming.

Digging deeper, the Court examined the true history of gun rights in California. From statehood in 1850, public open carry was unregulated for more than a century. It wasn’t until 1967-with the passing of the Mulford Act-that the state imposed meaningful restrictions. And as the decision notes, the Mulford Act itself is hardly a shining model of good governance: famed for being a direct response to the Black Panther Party’s legally conducted armed protests, the act has been analyzed for its racial undertones and political motivations. The Ninth Circuit’s ruling offers a long-overdue correction to a process tainted by both partisan posturing and historical distortion.

“California’s urban open-carry ban is an outlier even among blue states, exposing the political agenda behind the so-called common sense reforms,” tweeted gun rights attorney Alan Cross. Hundreds of pro-gun social media accounts erupted in celebration, with #RestoreCarry rocketing to the top of X (formerly Twitter).

Importantly, the Court’s decision covers the vast majority of Californians. Only residents of sparsely populated rural counties-those with fewer than 200,000 people-are still subject to a ‘shall-issue’ license requirement for open carry, a compromise the Court found passes constitutional muster under current precedent. But for urban and suburban Californians, the shackles are coming off.

Political Backlash, Progressive Fury, and America’s Gun Rights Revival

This ruling isn’t just a legal milestone; it’s a full-on political earthquake. Within hours, anti-gun politicians began melting down.
Governor Newsom called the decision “dangerous and reckless,” vowing to appeal to the full Ninth Circuit and, if necessary, the Supreme Court.
But defenders of the Constitution fired back just as fiercely. As California progressive leaders gnash their teeth, Second Amendment groups are already mobilizing to make sure bureaucrats and law enforcement comply immediately. National media outlets are reeling, grudgingly forced to admit that once again, the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen precedent is reshaping America’s gun landscape in precisely the way the Founders intended.

The facts are no longer on the side of gun grabbers. The Supreme Court majority in Bruen rejected the logic of using so-called “modern public safety concerns” as a blank check for infringing on the Second Amendment. Historical tradition is now the gold standard-and California has little history on its side. The Ninth Circuit’s opinion lays this out in black and white for all to see, obliterating anti-gun talking points.

“Once again, the courts have put the brakes on a progressive power-grab and reminded us that freedom is not a privilege handed down by politicians but a right guaranteed to every American,”

declared National Association for Gun Rights president Dudley Brown in a viral statement reposted thousands of times.

The takeaway is crystal clear: The era of California-style gun bans is over. Politicians who try to nullify the Bill of Rights face a bulldozer of legal precedent and public outrage. With President Trump’s successful appointment of constitutionalist judges-including Lawrence VanDyke, the very author of this opinion-Americans are seeing their rights restored in real time. The 2026 election cycle, now just months away, will surely see gun rights at the forefront, especially as emboldened conservatives point to real victories like this one.

For countless Americans who cherish their freedom, this ruling is more than a legal precedent-it’s a battle cry. California politicians want to keep fighting, but they’re up against the Constitution, the courts, and the will of the people. And as history shows, that’s a fight they just can’t win.