Federal Judge Rules Against California's Ammunition Background Check Requirement

Judge Roger Benitez states the law violates the Second Amendment, while California Attorney General Rob Bonta seeks to appeal the decision.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez has ruled that California residents do not have to pass a background check every time they buy bullets, stating that the law violates the Second Amendment.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has requested a delay in the ruling to give him time to appeal the decision.
Judge Benitez criticized the state's automated background check system, which he said rejected about 11% of applicants, or 58,087 requests, in the first half of 2023.
California has some of the nation's toughest gun laws, many of which are being challenged in court following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that set a new standard for interpreting gun laws.
Benitez has previously struck down two other California gun laws — one that banned detachable magazines that have more than 10 bullets and another that banned the sale of assault-style weapons.