California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced a significant legal victory for the state's firearm safety measures. An en banc panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has upheld California's ban on large-capacity magazines, ruling that it does not infringe upon the Second Amendment.
Large-capacity magazines, defined as those holding more than ten rounds of ammunition, are often associated with high-casualty mass shootings due to their ability to allow shooters to fire numerous rounds without needing to reload.
Attorney General Bonta emphasized the importance of this decision in a statement: “Today, the court found that California’s ban on large-capacity magazines does not violate the Second Amendment. California’s ban on large-capacity magazines has been a key component in our efforts to fight gun violence and prevent senseless injuries and deaths and the devastation of communities and families that are left behind in the wake of mass shootings.”
Bonta further highlighted that this restriction is crucial in reducing a shooter's ability to carry out mass casualty attacks: “This commonsense restriction on how many rounds a gunman can fire before they must pause to reload has been identified as a critical intervention to limit a lone shooter’s capacity to turn shootings into mass casualty attacks. Let me be clear, this law saves lives. Today’s ruling is an important win — not only in this case, but in our broader efforts to protect California communities from gun violence.”
The full court order and opinion are available for public viewing.