A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a California law that would have banned carrying firearms in most public places, ruling that it violates the Second Amendment of the US Constitution and deprives people of their ability to defend themselves and their loved ones. The law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September was set to take effect Jan. 1, the AP reports. It would have prohibited people from carrying concealed guns in 26 places including public parks and playgrounds, churches, banks, and zoos. The ban would apply whether the person has a permit to carry a concealed weapon or not. One exception would be for privately owned businesses that put up signs saying people are allowed to bring guns on their premises.
US District Judge Cormac Carney, a George W. Bush appointee, granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law, which he wrote was "sweeping, repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court." The court case against the law will proceed while the law is blocked. The judge wrote that gun rights groups are likely to succeed in proving it unconstitutional, meaning it would be permanently overturned. The decision is a victory for the California Rifle and Pistol Association, which sued to block the law.
The measure overhauled the state's rules for concealed carry permits in light of the US Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, which set several states scrambling to react with their own laws. That decision said the constitutionality of gun laws must be assessed by whether they are "consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation." State Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office will appeal the decision, which he said if allowed to stand "would endanger communities by allowing guns in places where families and children gather."
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Newsom said he will keep pushing for stricter gun measures. "Defying common sense, this ruling outrageously calls California's data-backed gun safety efforts 'repugnant.' What is repugnant is this ruling, which greenlights the proliferation of guns in our hospitals, libraries, and children's playgrounds—spaces, which should be safe for all," the governor said in a statement Wednesday evening.
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