The U.S. appeals court was split, but it upheld a New Jersey law that limits the amount of ammunition a single gun magazine can hold. A law passed this year in the Garden State limits most gun owners there to magazines that hold 10 rounds of ammunition instead of the 15-round limit in place since 1990.
U.S. Circuit Judge Patty Shwartz wrote that the law balances the state’s interest in public safety with the rights of individuals to defend their homes. The ruling in the case was 2-1 on Wednesday as they denied a motion by a gun-rights group for a temporary injunction to stop the law from taking effect.
Officials in New Jersey hope the ban on large capacity magazines could stop mass shooters if they have to stop to reload. About seven other states, the District of Columbia and several cities have similar limits.
Judge Shwartz said the National Rifle Association affiliates challenging the law downplayed “the significant increase in the frequency and lethality” of mass shootings and active shooter situations. She also said the state effort doesn’t violate the Second Amendment because “it imposes no limit on the number of firearms or magazines or amount of ammunition a person may lawfully possess.”
Judge Stephanos Bibas, the dissenting vote, questioned evidence the law will reduce gun violence.
The law is one of six gun control measures signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in June. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, called the ruling in a Wednesday tweet “a big win for public safety and law enforcement safety.”
The Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs vowed to appeal. Executive Director Scott L. Bach attacked the ruling as “plainly wrong,” and said it was “turning one million honest citizens into felons” for taking steps to defend their homes.
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