A U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Thursday ruled against California’s ban on certain gun advertisements, saying that the law violates the right to free speech.
“There is no evidence in the record that a minor in California has ever unlawfully bought a gun, let alone because of an ad,” wrote Ninth Circuit Judge Kenneth Lee in the order (pdf). “Nor has the state produced any evidence that truthful ads about lawful uses of guns … encourage illegal or violent gun use among minors.”
