A Judge Tossed Out California’s Assault Weapons Ban. Here’s What Happens Next.

A federal judge overturned California’s 32-year-old ban on assault weapons, calling the law unconstitutional in a Friday decision that compared AR-15s to Swiss Army knives, setting the stage for an appeals court battle over one of the country’s oldest assault weapons bans. San Diego judge Roger Benitez, an appointee of President George W. Bush, argued firearms like the AR-15 are “ordinary, popular, modern rifles” and are often useful for self defense and sport, so California’s ban runs afoul of the Second Amendment and the Supreme Court’s landmark 2008 D.C. v. Heller decision. The assault weapons ban will not disappear immediately: Benitez issued a temporary stay for his decision, giving state Attorney General Rob Bonta 30 days to appeal the ruling at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals before it takes effect.