The Wire · CalGunHub

Ninth Circuit extends injunction to all of California firearm advertising statute

Published July 7, 2025 · Updated October 12, 2026

A panel ordered the district court to enjoin the entirety of Business and Professions Code section 22949.80 on remand.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: Section 22949.80, enacted through AB 2571 (2022) and amended by AB 160, restricts certain firearm advertising attractive to minors; the preliminary injunction now covers the whole section while the case proceeds. Settlement talks could end the case without a final merits ruling, and a parallel Sacramento case is on a separate track. This is general information, not legal advice.

On July 7, 2025, a Ninth Circuit panel issued an unpublished memorandum in Junior Sports Magazines Inc. v. Bonta, No. 24-4050, arising from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (No. 2:22-cv-04663-CAS-JCx). The panel reversed the district court's refusal to enjoin subsection (b) of Business and Professions Code section 22949.80 and clarified that its 2023 First Amendment holding applies to the entirety of the statute restricting firearm advertising attractive to minors, remanding with instructions to enjoin the whole section, according to the memorandum and the Second Amendment Foundation. A preliminary injunction covering all of section 22949.80 is in place. Per the California Rifle and Pistol Association's May/June 2026 litigation report, the case is currently in settlement. A parallel case in the Eastern District of California, SCI v. Bonta (No. 2:22-cv-01395-DAD), produced a September 30, 2025 order addressing judgment on the pleadings. As of October 12, 2026, the injunction remains in place and no final judgment has been reported.

Informational only, not legal advice. Facts are attributed to the sources listed above.