The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has reached a settlement agreement with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office over policies that previously prohibited permit holders from carrying handguns equipped with red dot sights or flashlights and an outright ban on the carry of single action only 1911- and 2011-style pistols.
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.”
Concealed carry license applicants in Contra Costa County remain subject to the usual range-qualification requirements for any firearm they intend to list on a license. Existing licensees who add a red-dot sight or weapon-mounted light to a listed firearm may also be required to present the firearm for inspection and to qualify with the added accessory. Listed firearms must otherwise comply with applicable law.
“Given SAF has more than a dozen lawsuits in California alone, it should come as no surprise that it took legal action to restore the right to keep and bear arms of citizens in Contra Costa County,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “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.”
