Yost Co-leads 25-State Coalition Challenging California’s Ammunition Restrictions

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador are leading a coalition of 25 states in opposing California’s latest attempts to undermine the Second Amendment by tightening restrictions on ammunition. 
 
“California has spun a web of burdensome laws designed to stop residents from buying ammunition,” Yost said. “The right to bear arms includes the right to buy ammunition – and we’re asking the court to once again declare these laws unconstitutional.”
 
In an amicus brief, Yost and his counterparts urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to uphold an injunction blocking California from enforcing its ammunition background-check requirements.  
 
The laws at issue can require California residents to pay up to $19 for a background check – a process often lasting nearly a week – each time they purchase ammunition. Similar restrictions apply to ammunition imported from out of state.
 
The brief argues that these laws place an unconstitutional burden on the Second Amendment rights of California residents.
 
“California’s ammunition background-check and anti-importation provisions make firearms unusable to California residents unless they buy the state’s renewed permission to reload them every time they run low on ammunition,” the brief says.
 
The brief cites legal precedent affirming that arms-bearing rights include the right to ammunition. It also asserts that California has failed a legal test requiring the state to prove the laws are consistent with the nation’s historical tradition. On the contrary, the brief says, the California laws in question are unprecedented.
 
Two courts – including a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit – have already ruled that the laws infringe on constitutional rights. The 9th Circuit has granted California’s request for the full court to rehear the case.
 
Joining Yost and Labrador in signing the amicus brief are the attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dominic Binkley: 614-728-4127

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