NRA calls 3rd Circuit ruling on New Jersey semiautomatic weapons ban ‘historic’

A federal appeals court on Friday struck down New Jersey’s ban on semi-automatic rifles and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds, prompting the National Rifle Association (NRA) to call the ruling a “historic victory” in a case the gun rights organization has been litigating since 2018.

In a sweeping general decision, the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that New Jersey’s firearm and large-capacity magazine restrictions violate the Second Amendment.

The court expanded on the lower court’s decision by declaring the state’s so-called “assault firearm” ban unconstitutional because it applied to all semiautomatic rifles, not just the AR-15, and also struck down New Jersey’s ban on semiautomatic rifles and its restrictions on magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.

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“This is an NRA case that we’ve been litigating since 2018, so it’s a tremendous win,” Justin Davis, general manager of public affairs for the National Rifle Association, told Fox News Digital.

The NRA celebrated the decision in a statement, calling it a major victory for gun owners nationwide.

“Today marks a historic victory for the NRA, the Second Amendment, and law-abiding Americans,” the organization said.

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A male buyer signs paperwork verifying his purchase complies with state regulations next to a scoped AR-15 rifle at a gun store. (Svetlana Day, File via Getty Images)

“The Third Circuit struck down these unconstitutional so-called assault weapons and magazine bans in New Jersey, confirming what we have always known: the right to keep and bear arms, including jointly owned rifles and standard-capacity magazines, is fundamental and cannot be infringed upon by politicians who prioritize control over constitutional freedoms.”

“This decision protects the rights of millions of responsible gun owners in the Garden State and serves as another reference point in our efforts to eliminate gun control nationwide.”

Writing for the majority, Biden-appointed U.S. Circuit Judge Arianna Freeman said the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment decisions District of Columbia v. Heller, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association / Bruen and subsequent cases require governments to show that modern firearm restrictions are consistent with America’s historic tradition of firearm regulation.

Applying this framework, the court concluded that New Jersey failed to meet this burden.

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The NRA celebrated the decision in a statement, calling it a major victory for gun owners nationwide.

The majority ruled that New Jersey’s semiautomatic rifle ban violated the Second Amendment, overturning a district court decision that upheld the state’s ban on magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.

According to the opinion, New Jersey enacted its “assault-firearms law” in 1990 following a shooting at an elementary school in California.

According to the court, the then-governor described the banned firearms as “weapons capable of mass destruction” that were “designed to destroy the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time.”

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The majority concluded that semiautomatic rifles and magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds are protected by the Second Amendment, and that New Jersey failed to show that the restrictions were consistent with America’s historic tradition of firearm regulation.

Many justices dissented, arguing that the banned firearms were unusually dangerous military-style weapons that states have long had the authority to regulate, and that the decision contradicted every other federal appeals court that had supported similar state restrictions.