Steven Greenhut on Challenging California’s Absurd Ban on Signs in Gun Store Windows

In a 1964 U.S. Supreme Court case involving a
movie-theater owner convicted of an Ohio law banning the showing of
obscene movies, Justice Potter Stewart famously said he
could not “intelligibly” define obscenity, “but I know it when I
see it.” People still use that line to showcase the imprecision and
irrationality of many laws. How do we convict someone of something
so hard to define? We often know when we see other absurdities,
writes Steven Greehnut, including an archaic statute now subject of
a gun-related lawsuit filed this month in federal court. California
Penal Code 26820 bans gun stores from displaying signs — visible
from outside the premises — picturing handguns. They aren’t allowed
to display words-only signs that advertise the sales of handguns,
either.

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