Attorney General Bonta Supports Court’s Decision Upholding Enforcement of California’s Age-Based Firearm Restrictions

SAN DIEGO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California denied a preliminary injunction motion in Chavez v. Bonta, a lawsuit challenging the law prohibiting licensed firearms dealers from selling, supplying, delivering, or giving possession or control of certain long guns and semiautomatic centerfire rifles to 18- to 20-year-olds.  

“We applaud the court’s decision and believe it is an important step forward in the fight against gun violence,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We will continue to lead efforts to defend California’s commonsense gun-safety laws. As we move forward on the merits in this case, Californians should know that licensed firearms dealers are still prohibited from selling, supplying, delivering or giving possession or control of certain long guns and semiautomatic centerfire rifles to 18- to 20-year-olds.” 

Attorney General Bonta stands with partners throughout the state to continue tackling the issue of gun violence strategically and aggressively by:

• Defending California's commonsense gun-safety laws, including cases involving California's restrictions on large-capacity magazines and assault weapons.  
• Educating the public on gun violence prevention through the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, including through the first-ever data report issued by the office to provide a robust review of gun violence data in California and throughout the U.S. and to help guide policy and strategy discussions related to reducing gun violence.
• Advocating for gun laws including by sponsoring Assembly Bill 1594 to increase accountability for the firearm industry, working to strengthen federal laws to protect the public from ghost guns, and successfully defending California’s laws to prevent gun violence.
• Seizing guns from prohibited persons in the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, and through multiagency sweeps in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, conducting operations targeting individuals attempting to illegally purchase guns, and collaborating with local law enforcement partners.
• Ending the sale of illegal firearms through litigation against ghost gun retailers, and by putting a stop to the sale of illegal assault weapons in Orange County.

A copy of the decision can be found here.