U.S. judge overturns California’s ban on assault weapons

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge has overturned California’s three-decade-old ban on assault weapons, ruling that it violates the constitutional right to bear arms.

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego ruled Friday that the state’s definition of illegal military-style rifles unlawfully deprives law-abiding Californians of weapons commonly allowed in most other states.

California first restricted assault weapons in 1989, with multiple updates to the law since then.

California’s attorney general argued that assault weapons as defined by the law are more dangerous than other firearms and are disproportionately used in crimes and mass shootings. But Benitez said the guns are overwhelmingly owned for legal purposes.

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ETA....

In those two opinions, Benitez wasn't subtle.

Nor this time: "Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment."

He scolds the media for demonizing a certain category of rifle over other types of weapon, notes the AR-15-style rifle's popularity (there are probably more in circulation than Ford F-150s, he notes), calls the ban a "30-year-old failed experiment."