Appeals court upholds Calif. ban on large-capacity magazines for guns

Nov. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld California's ban on large-capacity magazines on guns Tuesday.

The federal appeals court issued a split decision in upholding the ban, ruling to limit the size of magazines to those that hold 10 or fewer bullets.

The decision reverses a lower court ruling.

It also found the ban imposed by California lawmakers does not infringe on a person's Second Amendment rights, nor does it impact the ability to defend one's home.

"The ban on legal possession of large-capacity magazines reasonably supports California's effort to reduce the devastating damage wrought by mass shootings," said Judge Susan P. Graber, a Clinton appointee, writing for the majority.

Mass shootings that involved a large-capacity magazine have killed or injured more than twice as many people as those involving smaller-capacity magazines, she wrote.

Many believe the move paves the way for the state to institute an all-out ban on assault-style, semi-automatic weapons.

The case stems from 2017, when a group of large-capacity magazine owners in California sued to block the initial magazine-restricting regulation.

With backing from the National Rifle Association, the group claimed the measure violated individual Second Amendment rights.

That led to the appeal to the full bench of the 9th Circuit by the state's attorney general.