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A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that California’s first-of-its-kind law requiring gun owners to undergo background checks to purchase ammunition is unconstitutional, declaring that it violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
In a 2-1 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court judge’s permanent injunction blocking the state from enforcing the law.
Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta said the law “meaningfully constrains” the right to keep and bear arms and that the state failed to prove the law was consistent with the country’s historical tradition of firearm regulation as required under a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen.
“By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California’s ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,” Ikuta wrote.
CALIFORNIA JUDGE BLACKS GUN CONTROL LAW REQUIRING BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR AMMO PURCHASES
A federal appeals court ruled that California’s law requiring gun owners to undergo background checks to purchase ammunition is unconstitutional. (Getty Images)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said the ruling was a “slap in the face” to efforts by officials in the Golden State to enact firearm restrictions to curb gun violence.
“Strong gun laws save lives – and today’s decision is a slap in the face to the progress California has made in recent years to keep its communities safer from gun violence,” Newsom said in a statement. “Californians voted to require background checks on ammunition and their voices should matter.”
The office of state Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, said “our families, schools, and neighborhoods deserve nothing less than the most basic protection against preventable gun violence, and we are looking into our legal options.”
California voters approved a ballot measure in 2016 requiring gun…
