Appeals court says California law requiring background checks for ammunition is unconstitutional
Jul 24, 2025, 2:02 PM | Updated: 2:20 pm
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A voter-backed California law requiring background checks for people who buy bullets is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
In upholding a 2024 ruling by a lower court, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the state law violates the Second Amendment. Voters passed the law in 2016 and it took effect in 2019.
Many states, including California, make people pass a background check before they can buy a gun. California went a step further by requiring a background check, which costs either $1 or $19 depending on eligibility, every time someone buys buy bullets.
Last year, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez decided that the law was unconstitutional because if people can’t buy bullets, they can’t use their guns for self-defense.
Benitez criticized the state’s automated background check system, which he said rejected about 11% of applicants, or 58,087 requests, in the first half of 2023.
California’s law was meant to help police find people who have guns illegally, such as convicted felons, people with certain mental illnesses and people with some domestic violence convictions.
