9th Circuit Grants Stay On Lifting California's Assault Weapon Ban
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) -- A federal appeals court granted California a stay on its assault weapons ban Monday as the state appealed a decision to lift it.
As the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals considers the state's appeal of the decision by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in early June, the state requested stay on lifting the ban, which the court granted Monday.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta celebrated the 9th Circuit's decision on Twitter.
#BREAKING: The 9th Circuit granted our motion to stay the district court's ruling in Miller v. Bonta.
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) June 21, 2021
This leaves our assault weapons laws in effect while appellate proceedings continue.
We won't stop defending these life-saving laws.https://t.co/L8F8zpLuhv pic.twitter.com/udtszNfOis
Judge Benitiez ruled on June 5 that the state's definition of illegal military-style rifles unlawfully deprives law-abiding Californians of weapons commonly allowed in most other states and by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Following the decision, Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to fight the decision, calling it "a direct threat to public safety and the lives of innocent Californians, period."
"For folks that wax on about public safety and they sit back passively and say nothing about this outrageous decision, shame on them. What frauds they are," Newsom said at a press conference on June 10. "Frauds. They're not serious about violence if they're not serious about gun violence."
This story will be updated.