A US appeals court on Wednesday blocked a California law banning gun marketing that is attractive to minors, saying it was unlikely to reduce gun violence or the unlawful use of firearms.
A panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said hunting and sport shooting groups were likely to prevail on claims that the law violates their free-speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, and blocked it pending the outcome of the case.
The court reversed a January ruling by a federal judge in Sacramento who had said the law properly regulated commercial speech and the groups were unlikely to succeed in their challenge.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed the measure into law last year, citing the need for new legislation "as the (US) Supreme Court rolls back important gun safety protections." Newsom's office cited gun manufacturer Wee 1 Tactical's advertising of an AR-15 meant for kids as an example of why the law was needed.