Judge blasts colleagues in rare video dissent: They ‘know next to nothing about guns’

Published March 20, 2025 5:24pm ET



A federal appeals court judge posted a firearms demonstration video to YouTube on Thursday, accusing his colleagues of living in a “factual fantasy” over gun restrictions, in an extraordinary rebuke of their decision in a gun case.

Judge Lawrence VanDyke of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals published the unusual video dissent Thursday after the court reaffirmed California‘s ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds. The 7-4 majority held that large-capacity magazines are not protected under the Second Amendment, asserting the ban aligns with the nation’s historical tradition of regulating dangerous weapon components.

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