Dean Rieck, Executive Director at Buckeye Firearms Association | LinkedIn
Dean Rieck, Executive Director at Buckeye Firearms Association | LinkedIn
The National Rifle Association (NRA) filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on June 14, supporting a challenge to California’s prohibition on the possession of billy clubs.
The brief contends that billy clubs are neither uniquely dangerous nor unusual. It notes that clubs have existed for millennia and that billy clubs, in particular, have been known by name to Americans since at least the 1840s. According to the NRA, there were no prohibitions on club possession in the 18th or 19th centuries, indicating no historical tradition that supports California’s ban.
The NRA's argument hinges on the Supreme Court's decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen, which held that any prohibition on bearable arms—whether firearms, billy clubs, or other items—must be supported by “history and tradition.” The brief asserts that California’s ban on billy clubs lacks such support and is therefore unconstitutional.
The case in question is Fouts v. Bonta and is currently before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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