California Governor Newsom said the judge's decision poses a "direct threat to public safety" and promises to challenge it.
A US judge has overturned California's three-decade-old ban on assault weapons in a move swiftly condemned by the state's governor Gavin Newsom as gun-related homicides surge across America.
In a 94-page decision, federal Judge Roger T Benitez described California's assault weapons ban -- in place in 1989 -- as unconstitutional and defended the right of Americans to own semi-automatic rifles.
"Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment," he wrote.
"Guns and ammunition in the hands of criminals, tyrants and terrorists are dangerous; guns in the hands of lawabiding responsible citizens are better," he argued.
This decision is a direct threat to public safety & the lives of innocent Californians. Comparing an AR-15 to a Swiss Army Knife is a slap in the face to those who lost loved ones to guns. We won’t back down & we will fight for common sense gun laws. https://t.co/YHaruaxtEX
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) June 5, 2021
Benitez said he would give the state 30 days to appeal the decision, which Governor Newson said posed a "direct threat to public safety" and which he vowed to challenge.
"We're not backing down from this fight, and we'll continue pushing for common sense gun laws that will save lives," he said in a statement.
READ MORE: Why are gun laws debated only after mass shootings?
A US District Judge appointed by George W. Bush overturned California’s three decade old ban on assault weapons tonight. His opinion relies heavily on Justice Scalia’s decision in Heller, even though that opinion said you could ban guns like the AR-15. https://t.co/oIYUDlgpHI pic.twitter.com/4ikTf8Cq0j
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) June 5, 2021
Surge in gun violence
The decision comes as gun violence surges across the United States -- and just over a week after a disgruntled, heavily-armed California public transit worker shot and killed nine people.
A search this week of the shooter's home -- which was set ablaze shortly before the attack -- turned up 12 guns, around 22,000 rounds of ammunition and suspected Molotov cocktails.
Mass shootings have also taken place in Florida, Indiana, California, Colorado and Georgia, in a surge in violence that President Joe Biden has branded an "epidemic."
The US Supreme Court is also due to hear a challenge backed by the gun lobby to a New York law that restricts the carrying of firearms outside the home.
It will be the first major case involving the Second Amendment constitutional right to bear arms heard by the nation's highest court in more than a decade.
While the coronavirus pandemic slowed workplace violence as more people stayed home, it also saw record gun sales.
In March last year, the number of weekly federal background checks on gun buyers surpassed one million for the first time, The New York Times reported.
READ MORE: Gun control remains a major issue in US despite mass shootings
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