Latest news with #Ikuta
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
California ammunition background checks declared unconstitutional by US appeals court
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Guns and ammunition for sale in Sacramento, California. A divided federal appeals court on July 24 said California's first-of-its-kind law requiring firearm owners to undergo background checks to buy ammunition is unconstitutional, violating the Second Amendment right to bear arms. In a 2-1 vote, the ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California upheld a lower court judge's permanent injunction against enforcing the law. Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta said the law 'meaningfully constrains' people's right to keep and bear arms. She also said California failed to show the law was consistent with the country's historical tradition of firearm regulation as required under a 2022 landmark US Supreme Court decision, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association vs Bruen. 'By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California's ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,' Ms Ikuta wrote. California officials expressed disappointment. 'Today's decision is a slap in the face to the progress California has made in recent years to keep its communities safer from gun violence,' Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business GIC posts 3.8% annualised return over 20 years despite economic uncertainties Business GIC's focus on long-term value aims to avoid permanent loss amid intensifying economic changes Opinion No idle punt: Why Singapore called out cyber saboteur UNC3886 by name Asia Both Cambodia, Thailand willing to consider ceasefire, says Malaysian PM Anwar Singapore Singapore urges all parties in Thailand-Cambodia border dispute to exercise restraint Business MAS' measures spark cautious optimism for Singapore stock market revival: Analysts World Trump, Fed chief Powell bicker during tense central bank visit Life Hulk Hogan, who helped turn pro wrestling into a billion-dollar spectacle, dies at 71 A spokesperson for state Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, said 'our families, schools, and neighborhoods deserve nothing less than the most basic protection against preventable gun violence, and we are looking into our legal options.' All three judges on July 24's panel were appointed by Republican presidents, though appointees of Democratic presidents hold a 9th Circuit majority. California can ask an 11-judge appeals court panel or the Supreme Court to review the decision. The plaintiffs included Ms Kim Rhode, who has won three Olympic gold medals in shooting events, and the California Rifle & Pistol Association. In a joint statement, the group's president and general counsel Chuck Michel called the decision a victory against 'overreaching government gun control,' while Ms Rhode called it 'a big win for all gun owners in California.' Many gun rights groups and 24 mostly Republican-led US states submitted briefs supporting the law's opponents, while a few gun safety groups sided with California. Ms Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment litigation at Everytown Law, in a statement said California's law imposed a 'minimal burden,' a US$1 (SS$1.20) fee and one-minute delay, for most firearms owners seeking ammunition. 'Background checks for ammunition sales are common sense,' she said. Voters had in 2016 approved a California ballot measure requiring gun owners to undergo initial background checks to buy ammunition, and buy four-year ammunition permits. Legislators later amended the measure to require background checks for each ammunition purchase. California said it received 191 reports in 2024 of 'armed and prohibited individuals' who were blocked through background checks from buying ammunition. The injunction was issued by US District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego, who has ruled in several cases in favour of gun owners. An appeals court panel put the injunction on hold during California's appeal. California said several old firearms restrictions supported the background checks. These included colonial era rules requiring licenses to produce gunpowder, the disarmament around 1776 of people who refused to take 'loyalty oaths,' and late-19th century rules requiring government permission to carry concealed weapons. Circuit Judge Jay Bybee dissented from the decision. He accused the majority of flouting Supreme Court guidance by effectively declaring unlawful any limits on ammunition sales, given the unlikelihood a state can point to identical historical analogues. The law 'is not the kind of heavy-handed regulation that meaningfully constrains the right to keep and bear arms,' Mr Bybee wrote. President George W. Bush appointed Ms Ikuta and Mr Bybee to the bench, while President Donald Trump appointed Circuit Judge Bridget Bade, who joined the majority. REUTERS
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
9th Circuit upholds block on background checks for California ammunition buyers
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that California's policy of background checks for bullet-buyers violates the 2nd Amendment, effectively killing a 2016 ballot measure meant to strengthen the state's notoriously stringent gun laws. Writing for two of the three judges on the appellate panel, Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta said the law 'meaningfully constrains the right to keep operable arms' guaranteed by the constitution, by forcing California gun owners to re-authorize before each ammunition purchase. 'The right to keep and bear arms incorporates the right to operate them, which requires ammunition,' the judge wrote. The ruling is the latest blow to statewide efforts to regulate guns. Both the 9th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court have significantly restricted gun control measures in just the last decade. Two of the three controlling cases Ikuta cited in her decision were handed down in the last three years. Thursday's ruling drew primarily from a 2022 Supreme Court decision that sharply limited gun control measures passed by individual states, finding that such laws must be 'consistent with the Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation.' California had attempted to sidestep that test in part by pointing to Reconstruction-era loyalty oaths some Americans were required to make before buying guns. But that didn't sway the panel. 'The problem of ensuring that citizens are loyal to the United States by requiring a one-time loyalty oath is not analogous to California's recurring ammunition background check rules,' Ikuta wrote. 'These laws are not relevant.' Judge Jay Bybee disagreed. 'California, which has administered the scheme since 2019, has shown that the vast majority of its checks cost one dollar and impose less than one minute of delay,' the judge wrote in his dissent. 'The majority has broken with our precedent and flouted the Supreme Court's guidance.' Data from the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Firearms shows the program approved 89% of purchases, most within about three minutes. It rejected slightly more than 10% on technicalities that were later resolved, and fewer than one percent because the buyer was banned. Although the 2022 case had 'ushered in a new era for Second Amendment jurisprudence,' Bybee wrote, it didn't preclude the bullet-background check scheme. 'We have repeatedly rejected the majority's boundless interpretation of the Second Amendment,' Bybee wrote. 'It is difficult to imagine a regulation on the acquisition of ammunition or firearms that would not 'meaningfully constrain' the right to keep and bear arms under the majority's new general applicability standard.' It was not immediately clear if the ruling would lift restrictions in place for the last six years. California leaders have not yet said whether they would appeal the decision. Gun rights activists were thrilled by the news. 'Today's ruling is a major step forward for the Second Amendment and the rights of every law-abiding citizen,'said Dan Wolgin, CEO of Ammunition Depot, one of the plaintiffs in the case.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
California can't require background checks to buy ammunition, appeals court rules
A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that California's first-of-its-kind law requiring firearm owners to undergo background checks to buy ammunition is unconstitutional. In a 2-1 vote, the ninth US circuit court of appeals in Pasadena, California upheld a lower court judge's permanent injunction against enforcing the law. Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta said California failed to show that the law was consistent with the country's historical tradition of firearm regulation, as required under a 2022 US supreme court precedent. 'By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California's ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,' violating the US constitution's second amendment, Ikuta wrote. The office of Rob Bonta, California's attorney general, which defended the law, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The office of the California governor, Gavin Newsom, office did not immediately respond to a similar request. Voters had in 2016 approved a California ballot measure requiring gun owners to undergo initial background checks to buy ammunition, and pay $50 for a four-year ammunition permit. Legislators amended the measure to require background checks for each ammunition purchase. The background check scheme took effect in 2019.
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
California cannot require background checks to buy ammunition: US appeals court
A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that California's first-of-its-kind law requiring firearm owners to undergo background checks to buy ammunition is unconstitutional. In a 2-1 vote, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California upheld a lower court judge's permanent injunction against enforcing the law. Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta said California failed to show that the law was consistent with the country's historical tradition of firearm regulation, as required under a 2022 US Supreme Court precedent. 'By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California's ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,' violating the US Constitution's Second Amendment, Ikuta wrote. The office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, which defended the law, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. California Governor Gavin Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a similar request. Voters had in 2016 approved a California ballot measure requiring gun owners to undergo initial background checks to buy ammunition, and pay $50 for a four-year ammunition permit. Legislators amended the measure to require background checks for each ammunition purchase. The background check scheme took effect in 2019.
Los Angeles Times
19-03-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Japanese ramen brand joins South Coast Plaza noodle offerings
When it comes to long noodles, South Coast Plaza is not short on options. Shoppers in the mood for 'noods' can choose from spicy Sichuan-style noodles at Mian Sichuan Gourmet Noodles; the famous garlic noodles at AnQi Bistro; bánh phở, or Vietnamese rice noodles, in flavorful pho broth at Phởholic; handcrafted Sanuki-style udon noodles at Marugame Udon and a variety of noodle choices in rich 'wok-hei' shrimp broth at Le Shrimp Noodle Bar. On March 24, another big name noodle concept will join the current offerings when Tokyo's Ramen Nagi opens its first Orange County location on Level 1 of South Coast Plaza's Crate & Barrel wing. 'This restaurant has been in the works for quite some time,' Stanley Ko, president of Ramen Nagi U.S., said during a preview of the new space on March 14. 'We were sidetracked by the pandemic and everything that has been happening in the world and we are so happy to be able to open this restaurant, finally.' Founded in 2004 by master ramen chef Satoshi Ikuta, Ramen Nagi is among the most recognized ramen concepts in Japan and beyond with 40 locations around the world. Ikuta himself was also on hand for the preview, assembling bowls of ramen and speaking through a translator. 'I am extremely happy to bring Ramen Nagi to Orange County; it's our sixth store in America,' Ikuta said. 'It's also our 20th year and we are so proud to have worked tirelessly on this menu to bring delicious flavor over the course of 20 years.' The steaming bowls of ramen with handcrafted noodles are customizable, with diners dictating salt level, broth density, meat choices and extra toppings. The ability to build your own bowl has contributed to Ramen Nagi's popularity and large fan base. 'Basically you can customize every aspect of your ramen. The point we want to stress is there is no reason you can't have the most perfect bowl of ramen when you come to our store,' said Ko. 'We will take special care to understand what your needs are and make sure we make the ramen to your liking.' Ramen broth is available in five different varieties: Original King is made with Ramen Nagi's signature tonkotsu pork broth and served with pork chashu, while the Red King is a blend of garlic, chili oil and cayenne pepper, topped with miso-infused pork. Black King is a blackened garlic and squid ink broth, dark in color and rich with chashu, minced pork and black sesame; Green King has an Italian flair with fresh basil and olive oil in the tonkotsu broth, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and chashu. Lastly, Veggie King is a plant-based broth that incorporates mushroom and cauliflower purée with shiitake mushrooms and spinach. In place of the pork, a disk of shredded potato is fried to make a vegetable 'chashu' golden and crispy like a latke. Diners will also find a selection of appetizers on the menu, like karaage chicken, a Japanese-style fried chicken, and lacy-edged gyoza. The authenticity extends to the restaurant space with Japanese solid black cedar wood and traditional Japanese noren textile dividers. 'We opened the store exactly as it is in Japan,' Ko said. 'We wanted to bring a little bit of Tokyo to South Coast Plaza. We wanted to make it as authentic as possible.' The 1,250 square-foot space seats 70, with bar seating, tables and communal dining. Besides the five classic flavors, most Ramen Nagi locations offer Limited King, a special flavored ramen available for a limited time. In honor of the Orange County opening, Ikuta is featuring the O.C. Shrimp King flavor at the Costa Mesa store during opening week. Unique from Ikuta's traditional shrimp ramen, the O.C. version uses garlic shrimp and fried kale with a drizzle of sriracha. 'It's one that, once you start sipping, you can't stop,' said Ikuta. While Ko knows shoppers have many choices when it comes to noodles, he hopes locals will be open to trying the Ramen Nagi experience. 'This is a labor of love for chef and myself,' said Ko. 'Warmth and hospitality is No. 1.' Ramen Nagi opens to the public at South Coast Plaza on March 24 . Hours are Monday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
