9th Circuit ruling threatens California ban on unlicensed open carry of handguns

California laws banning people from openly carrying handguns in public without a license are under greater legal threat after a federal appellate court decision Thursday.

A conservative three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that a lower court “abused its discretion” when it declined to halt state enforcement of the laws while their constitutionality is being challenged.

The higher court’s ruling did not conclude that enforcement should be halted, instead sending the case back down to the lower district court for another analysis. However, it did provide “instructions” on how that analysis should be conducted, with language