9th Circuit Declares CA Magazine Ban Violates 2nd Amendment

In a move that could ultimately have legal ramifications nationwide, a three judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has invalidated a California law banning the sale and possession of ammunition magazines that can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition, ruling that the state law violates the Second Amendment rights of residents.

Judge Kenneth Lee, writing for the majority, declared that “even well intentioned laws must pass constitutional muster,” arguing that California’s ban on so-called large capacity magazines should be invalidated because it “strikes at the core of the Second Amendment – the right to armed self defense.”

California’s law imposes a substantial burden on this right to self-defense. The ban makes it criminal for Californians to own magazines that come standard in Glocks, Berettas, and other handguns that are staples of self-defense. Its scope is so sweeping that half of all magazines in America are now unlawful to own in California. Even law-abiding citizens, regardless of their training and track record, must alter or turn over to the state any LCMs that they may have legally owned for years — or face up to a year in jail.