Federal District Court Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo has stopped enforcement of California laws preventing certain out-of-state gun owners from acquiring a carry license in the Golden State. The case, Hoffman V. Bonta, was decided August 21, 2025.
Individual plaintiffs are Christopher J. Hoffman, for whom the case is named, Chad Orrin, and Jennifer Sensiba. Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) was an organizational plaintiff whose members can take advantage of the ruling.
“People do not lose their right to keep and bear arms when they visit California. With this injunction, they can finally protect themselves and their families while in the Golden State,” said FPC President Brandon Combs.
FPC’s members who reside outside of California had been banned from acquiring a carry license (commonly called a “Carry Concealed Weapons” license, or “CCW”) in the state. The injunction follows the Court’s July decision that the law was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. FPC explained that the Court’s limitation of the injunction to the named plaintiffs and FPC’s members is a consequence of the Supreme Court’s Trump v. CASA, Inc. decision.
The State of California had asked the Court to issue a complex injunction requiring applicants to submit a sworn statement declaring intent to carry in a specific county within the next 12 months and limiting applications to that county — along with five pages of additional conditions and qualifications.
But the Court agreed with FPC, which asked the Court to enter a straightforward injunction simply blocking enforcement of the ban altogether.
The ruling is especially important because the only way that most people can lawfully carry within 1,000 feet of schools is to possess a valid carry license issued by the exact state in which the person is carrying.
The injunction and other key case documents in Hoffman v. Bonta can be viewed here.
