‘Background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,’ a judge wrote in the decision
A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that California’s first-of-its-kind law requiring firearm owners to undergo background checks to buy ammunition is unconstitutional.
In a 2-1 vote, the ninth US circuit court of appeals in Pasadena, California, upheld a lower court judge’s permanent injunction against enforcing the law.
Circuit judge Sandra Ikuta said California failed to show that the law was consistent with the country’s historical tradition of firearm regulation, as required under the US supreme court’s 2022 Bruen decision.
“By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California’s ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,” violating the US constitution’s second amendment, Ikuta wrote.
