A federal judge Friday overturned California’s three-decade-old ban on assault weapons, ruling that it violates the constitutional right to bear arms.
U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego ruled that the state’s definition of illegal military-style rifles unlawfully deprives law-abiding Californians of weapons commonly allowed in most other states and by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Under no level of heightened scrutiny can the law survive,” Benitez said. He issued a permanent injunction against enforcement of the law but stayed it for 30 days to give state Attorney General Rob Bonta time to appeal.
While the ninth circuit used to be “famously liberal” and would typically reverse any pro-gun rulings by lower courts, the appointment of new judges by Donald Trump has made the appeals court “much more balanced”, making the court’s ruling on the assault weapon ban case less clear!!