Court vacates decision blocking California ban on under-21 rifle sales
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated a May decision that deemed California's ban on selling semiautomatic weapons to adults under 21 to be unconstitutional, citing recent Supreme Court ruling New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. Inc. v. Bruen. The court has now sent the case back to the federal trial judge who refused to block the ban from 2019, when a 19-year-old opened fire in a synagogue near San Diego.
In June, the high court ruled it unconstitutional to require a license to carry a concealed weapon, and said firearms restrictions not rooted in American history are in violation of the Second Amendment, the Los Angeles Times reports.
As a result, California's attorneys argued that the May case needed to be remanded, or sent back to the lower courts, for both parties to provide more evidence and historical context to determine the ban's constitutionality. The Ninth Circuit granted the remand, without providing an explanation or new conclusions regarding the ban's constitutionality.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Groups challenging the ban, including the Firearm Policy Coalition, have opposed the remand, claiming that the previous decision determined their claims' success and the Supreme Court decision doesn't change the analysis.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, meanwhile, said in a statement that he looks forward to "defending this law in the district court to protect the public safety of Californians and so that they can safely live, work, and congregate without fear of becoming a victim of gun violence."
-
Antonia Romeo and Whitehall’s women problemThe Explainer Before her appointment as cabinet secretary, commentators said hostile briefings and vetting concerns were evidence of ‘sexist, misogynistic culture’ in No. 10
-
Local elections 2026: where are they and who is expected to win?The Explainer Labour is braced for heavy losses and U-turn on postponing some council elections hasn’t helped the party’s prospects
-
6 of the world’s most accessible destinationsThe Week Recommends Experience all of Berlin, Singapore and Sydney
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
