Today, U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd signed an order blocking California from enforcing AB-2571, which will be signed into law in June 2022.
Sportsmen's Alliance was the first organization to warn California hunters and gun owners of the extreme dangers of this bill when it was introduced. Despite our dire warnings, Governor Newsom continued to push for its passage, even though it would clearly ban youth hunting programs, education, and shooting activities across the state. Although Newsom tried to characterize this bill as a safety measure, it was clearly drafted to worsen the future of hunting and firearm ownership in the state, and after this draconian bill was signed into law. , hunting organizations scrambled to figure out how to continue their youth programs. Newsome.
The Sportsmen's Alliance joined with a coalition of hunting organizations in filing a lawsuit against the law, seeking to overturn its blatant disregard for constitutional protections, including a direct attack on the very foundations of the First Amendment. Although the coalition initially lost at the district level, a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals banned truthful advertising that directly related to hunting traditions and Second Amendment rights. It was rightly recognized that doing so was a violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
But Newsom and Attorney General Bonta refused to accept the loss. Instead, it asked that the case be retried “en banc” before the 11 judges of the 9th Circuit. However, not one of the 9th Circuit's 29 active judges voted to rehear the case. This is evident in the Ninth Circuit and is quite noteworthy.
“The Ninth Circuit forced California to accept what was obvious all along,” said Michael Jean, a litigation attorney with the Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation. “California banned true and non-misleading speech because it didn’t like the content. The First Amendment prohibits it, and today’s order means California can no longer enforce this law. Guaranteed.”
Today's order only prohibits the state from enforcing the law until the court can fully consider the merits of the case. Sportsmen's Alliance looks forward to continuing the challenge while the legislation is pending, protecting California's hunting heritage from the continued onslaught by Newsom and others who seek to undermine hunters at every turn. I swear.
The case has a caption Safari Club International v. Bonta. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation was also a party to the case, and the National Rifle Association also contributed.
About Sportsmen's Alliance: Sportsmen's Alliance protects America's wildlife conservation programs and the activities that generate their funding, such as hunting, fishing, and trapping. The Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense, and research. That mission is accomplished through several different programs tailored to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected with Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online , Facebook , twitter And Instagram.
