elisfkc2 / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
In a ruling that compared the AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife, a federal judge overturned California’s longtime ban on assault weapons on Friday, ruling it violates the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms.
Assault weapons have been banned in California since 1989, according to the ruling. The law has been updated several times since it was originally passed.
According to the ruling by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego, the assault weapons ban deprives Californians from owning assault-style weapons commonly allowed in other states. Benitez issued a permanent injunction Friday so the law cannot be enforced.
U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of the Southern District of California, who warmly praised the AR-15 in his ruling, said the state's longtime ban on such firearms was unconstitutional.
The overturning of a long-term ban on assault weapons including rifles has caused a backlash, especially after a judge compared the AR-15 rifle to a Swiss Army Knife. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego, a Republican who was appointed by George Bush, ruled that the ban that had been in place since 1989 violated the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, despite the fact that AR-15 rifles have been used in mass shootings. “Like the.