California’s Gun Ban Allowed to Continue by Appeals Court

A lower court had earlier lifted the ban, deeming it to be in violation of the Second Amendment.

Rifles and two rocket-propelled grenade launchers on display at a news conference to show the results of an anonymous gun buyback program at police headquarters in Los Angeles on May 19, 2017. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

A U.S. appeals court has allowed California’s ban on certain types of semi-automatic rifles, so-called assault weapons, to remain in effect, reversing an earlier lower court decision to stay the law.

Semi-automatic rifles have been restricted in the state since 1989, with the law updated multiple times to keep the ban in effect. On Oct. 19, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego ruled that the ban was a violation of Second Amendment rights and issued an injunction that blocked its enforcement in the state.