OHIO — A coalition of 25 states, led by Ohio and Idaho, are opposing California’s restrictions on ammunition in what the coalition claims are attempts to undermine the Second Amendment.
What You Need To Know
Yost and his counterparts are urging the U.S. Cort of Appeal for the 9th Circuit to uphold an injunction blocking California from enforcing ammunition background-check requirements
California residents, because of the current laws, can be required to pay up to $19 for a background check each time they purchase ammunition
Two courts have ruled that the laws infringe on constitutional rights, the 9th circuit has granted California’s request for the full court to rehear the case
“California has spun a web of burdensome laws designed to stop residents from buying ammunition,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “The right to bear arms includes the right to buy ammunition – and we’re asking the court to once again declare these laws unconstitutional.”
Yost and his counterparts are urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to uphold an injunction blocking California from enforcing ammunition background-check requirements, according to an amicus brief.
California residents, because of the current laws, can be required to pay up to $19 for a background check each time they purchase ammunition, with similar restrictions applying to ammunition imported from out of state. According to the brief, these laws place an unconstitutional burden on the Second Amendment rights of Californians.
“California’s ammunition background-check and anti-importation provisions make firearms unusable to California residents unless they buy the state’s renewed permission to reload them every time they run low on ammunition,” the brief says.
According to legal precedent highlighted by the brief, the arms-bearing rights include the right to ammunition, asserting that California has failed a legal test requiring the state to prove laws are consistent with the country’s historical tradition. The brief says the California laws in question are unprecedented.
Two courts have ruled that the laws infringe on constitutional rights. The 9th circuit has granted California’s request for the full court to rehear the case.
Idaho and Ohio are joined by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.