Federal Judge Reverses California Ban on Assault Weapons

A U.S. judge overturned California's 32-year ban on assault weapons, claiming the ban violates the Second Amendment. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego said that “under no level of heightened scrutiny can the law survive,” and wrote in his ruling, “Like the Swiss Army knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for both home and battle.” Benitez went on to write in his ruling that, “this case is not about extraordinary weapons lying at the outer limits of Second Amendment protection...this is an average case about average guns used in average ways for average purposes.” Benitez provided state Attorney General Rob Bonta 30 days to appeal the ruling before the law takes effect; Bonta said in a statement Friday he would appeal Benitez’s decision, calling it "fundamentally flawed." California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Benitez for the ruling in a tweet, said comparing an AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife "is a disgusting slap in the face to those who have lost loved ones to gun violence" and that the ruling "is a direct threat to public safety and innocent Californians." 

Coverage from left- and center-rated outlets tended to highlight Benitez's Swiss Army knife comparison, as well as backlash from Newsom and others on the left. Some right-rated outlets tended to emphasize Benitez's comments about "average guns used in average ways for average purposes."