Appeals court refuses to block Sunnyvale gun ordinance

A federal appeals court Wednesday unanimously refused to block an ordinance banning possession of large-scale magazines for guns.

The ordinance, passed in 2013 by voters in the Bay Area city of Sunnyvale, banned ammunition devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds. A gun owner challenged the law and sought a preliminary injunction to block it. A district judge refused to put a hold on the law, and the owner appealed.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said Sunnyvale had presented sufficient evidence to show that the ordinance was likely to survive the challenge.

The panel did not decide the constitutionality of law. The ruling was limited to whether the lower court properly considered the evidence in refusing to block the law.

“It is ‘self-evident’ that Sunnyvale’s interests in promoting public safety and reducing violent crime are substantial and important government interests,” Judge Michael Daly Hawkins wrote for the court.

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