Sutter County Sheriff Brandon Barnes made clear Wednesday his office has no intention of blindly enforcing a California gun control that creates more areas in which concealed carry permit holders are barred from being armed for self defense.

FOX 40 reported Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer R. Dupré also made clear her office will not begin a blanket prosecution of concealed carry permit holders who carry guns for self-defense either.

Instead, Barnes and Dupre used a Facebook post to explain their position on the new law.

The post said, in part:

The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office and The Sutter County District Attorney’s Office will work collaboratively to evaluate circumstances on a case-by-case basis and do what is in the best interest of justice and our community.

We have no interest in criminalizing constitutionally protected behavior. We took an oath to uphold our Constitution and will work to protect the rights of our citizens. This issue is far from being resolved and we are hopeful the courts will rule in favor of our constitution. We will continue to keep our community informed on this important issue.

Breitbart News noted the law expanding gun-free zones for concealed carry permit holders went into effect January 1, 2024, after a preliminary injunction against the law was put on hold.

However, litigation against the law continues and Barnes and Dupre pointed to the ongoing litigation in their statement:

This past Saturday, December 30th, The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals suspended the December 20th injunction, essentially enacting the sensitive areas portion of the bill. We suspect this will be challenged further and will have to make it’s way through the court process. It appears there are additional hearings on this matter scheduled in the coming weeks.

Barnes and Dupre made clear they both encourage citizens to “obey the law.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.