SAN DIEGO — A federal judge on Friday struck down California's ban on assault weapons as unconstitutional but left plenty of time for the state

Judge rules California's ban on assault weapons unconstitutional

submited by

Style Pass

2021-06-05 06:00:06

SAN DIEGO — A federal judge on Friday struck down California's ban on assault weapons as unconstitutional but left plenty of time for the state to file an appeal.

Judge Roger T. Benitez, who has favored pro-gun groups in past rulings, described the AR-15 rifle, used in many of the nation's deadliest mass shootings, as an ideal weapon.

"Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment," he wrote in Friday's decision.

"Yet, the State of California makes it a crime to have an AR15 type rifle," Benitez continued. "Therefore, this Court declares the California statutes to be unconstitutional."

"The fact that this judge compared the AR-15 — a weapon of war that’s used on the battlefield — to a Swiss Army Knife completely undermines the credibility of this decision and is a slap in the face to the families who’ve lost loved ones to this weapon," he said.

"Today’s decision is fundamentally flawed, and we will be appealing it," Bonta said in a statement Friday night. "There is no sound basis in law, fact, or common sense for equating assault rifles with swiss army knives."