California Appeals Ruling Striking Down Assault Weapons Ban

California Appeals Ruling Striking Down Assault Weapons Ban
AR-15 style rifles are displayed for sale at Firearms Unknown, a gun store in Oceanside, Calif., on April 12, 2021. Bing Guan/Reuters
|Updated:

California officials on Thursday said the state has appealed a federal judge’s decision to strike down its three-decade-old ban on assault-style weapons, saying the law is needed to prevent gun deaths.

The appeal challenges last week’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego that the law illegally infringes upon the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, which guarantees the right of citizens to bear arms.