The Wire · CalGunHub

San Diego federal court stays 10-day waiting-period challenge pending Yukutake

Published August 5, 2025 · Updated October 12, 2026

Richards v. Bonta was paused while the Ninth Circuit reheard Yukutake; the stay is now being revisited after the en banc ruling.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: California's 10-day waiting period remains in effect; this case is paused by a stay now under review after the Yukutake en banc decision. A joint status report was due September 29, 2026, and the court has not ruled on the pending cross-motions for summary judgment, so no change to current requirements comes from this entry. This is general information, not legal advice.

On August 5, 2025, Judge Andrew G. Schopler of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California stayed Richards v. Bonta, No. 3:23-cv-00793, a challenge to California's 10-day waiting period for firearm purchases, pending the Ninth Circuit's en banc decision in Yukutake v. Lopez, according to the Second Amendment Foundation's case docket page and the Firearms Policy Coalition's case page. Cross-motions for summary judgment were pending when the stay issued. The Ninth Circuit decided Yukutake en banc on September 22, 2026, upholding Hawaii's permit-related requirements 6-5 and reversing the injunction in that case. Following that decision, the Richards court ordered a joint status report by September 29, 2026, in light of the en banc ruling, and the stay is being revisited, per the case docket pages. No merits ruling has been located as of the latest docket entries. As of October 12, 2026, California's 10-day waiting period remains in effect and the district court has not decided the cross-motions.

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