Federal Court Rules Firearm Restrictions on Defendants Awaiting Trial Are Constitutional

Defense attorney says clients will now file a challenge to the US Supreme Court.

Customers shop for firearms in a gun store in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 25, 2023. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

A federal court has ruled it is constitutional to block a defendant’s Second Amendment rights while they are awaiting trial.

On March 18, the three-judge panel in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the restriction on the rights of Jesus Perez-Garcia and John Thomas Fencl to bear firearms is constitutional because it is consistent with historic legal precedent.