.......The new law exempts peace officers, hunters and people attending gun shows or going to shooting ranges from its penalties of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. It does not prohibit the public carrying of unloaded long-barrel weapons such as rifles — a silence that open-carry advocates say they will exploit.

Yih-Chau Chang, an open-carry practitioner in the Bay Area, said he was disappointed but not surprised by Brown's action. He also said it would not stop him and others from publicly demonstrating their rights.

"Come Jan. 1," he said, "you will see us out there carrying unloaded rifles and shotguns."