Californians have right to 'state-of-the-art' handguns, judge rules

A federal judge has ruled that California's handgun roster unlawfully restricts the purchase of handguns to a set list of models and had effectively denied residents the use of modern firearms.

"Californians have the constitutional right to acquire and use state-of-the-art handguns to protect themselves," wrote U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney in a Monday ruling that Breitbart News obtained. "They should not be forced to settle for decade-old models of handguns to ensure that they remain safe inside or outside the home."

"Because enforcing those requirements implicates the plain text of the Second Amendment, and the government fails to point to any well-established historical analogues that are consistent with them, those requirements are unconstitutional and their enforcement must be preliminarily enjoined," he continued.

The state's Unsafe Handgun Act (UHA) was enacted in 1999 and created the state's handgun roster, which has been amended repeatedly since that time. Carney observed in his ruling that such a tightening of restrictions had effectively limited Californians to purchasing "models from over sixteen years ago."

The California Rifle & Pistol Association brought the suit.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.