Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca9-14-15408/USCOURTS-ca9-14-15408-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 950
Nature of Suit: Constitutionality of State Statutes
Cause of Action: 

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FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

LEONARD FYOCK; SCOTT

HOCHSTETLER; WILLIAM DOUGLAS;

DAVID PEARSON; BRAD SEIFERS;

ROD SWANSON,

Plaintiffs-Appellants,

v.

CITY OF SUNNYVALE; THE MAYOR

OF SUNNYVALE; ANTHONY

SPITALERI, in his official capacity;

THE CHIEF OF THE SUNNYVALE

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY;

FRANK GRGURINA, in his official

capacity,

Defendants-Appellees.

No. 14-15408

D.C. No.

5:13-cv-05807-

RMW

OPINION

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Northern District of California

Ronald M. Whyte, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted

November 17, 2014—San Francisco, California

Filed March 4, 2015

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2 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

Before: Michael Daly Hawkins and Johnnie B. Rawlinson,

Circuit Judges, and Barbara M. G. Lynn, District Judge.*

Opinion by Judge Hawkins

SUMMARY**

Civil Rights/Second Amendment

The panel affirmed the district court’s denial of a request

to preliminarily enjoin an ordinance enacted by the City of

Sunnyvale, California, restricting the possession of “largecapacity magazines”—statutorily defined as a detachable

ammunition feeding device capable of accepting more than

ten rounds.

The panel held that the district court applied the

appropriate legal principles and did not clearly err in finding,

based on the record before it, that a regulation restricting

possession of certain types of magazines burdened conduct

falling within the scope of the Second Amendment. The

panel further agreed with the district court that intermediate

scrutiny was appropriate. The panel held that Sunnyvale’s

interests in promoting public safety and reducing violent

crime were substantial and important government interests. 

So, too, were Sunnyvale’s interests in reducing the harm and

 

*

 The Honorable Barbara M. G. Lynn, United States District Judge for

the Northern District of Texas, sitting by designation.

** This summary constitutes no part of the opinion of the court. It has

been prepared by court staff for the convenience of the reader.

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 3

lethality of gun injuries in general, and in particular as against

law enforcement officers. The panel held that the evidence

identified by the district court was precisely the type of

evidence that Sunnyvale was permitted to rely upon to

substantiate its interest. The panel concluded that the district

court did not abuse its discretion in determining, on the

record before it, that Sunnyvale presented sufficient evidence

to show that the ordinance was likely to survive intermediate

scrutiny and that plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that they

would likely succeed on the merits of their claim. 

COUNSEL

Erin E. Murphy (argued), Bancroft PLLC, Washington, D.C.;

C. D. Michel, Glenn S. McRoberts, Clinton B. Monfort, Sean

A. Brady and Anna M. Barvir, Michel & Associates, P.C.,

Long Beach, California, for Plaintiffs-Appellants.

Roderick M. Thompson (argued), Anthony P. Schoenberg

and Rochelle L. Woods, Farella Braun + Martel LLP, San

Francisco, California, for Defendants-Appellees.

Robert C. Wright and Andrew E. Schouten, Wright &

L’Estrange, San Diego, California; Lawrence G. Keane,

General Counsel, The National Shooting Sports Foundation,

Inc., Newtown, Connecticut, for Amicus Curiae The National

Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc.

Dan M. Peterson, Dan M. Peterson PLLC, Fairfax, Virginia,

for Amici Curiae International Law Enforcement Trainers

andEducators Association, California Reserve PeaceOfficers

Association, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, Law

Enforcement Action Network, CRPA Foundation, Law

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4 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

Enforcement Alliance of America, Inc., San Francisco

Veteran Police Officers’ Association, California County

Sheriffs Bosenko, Christianson,D’Agostini,Downey,Durfor,

Growdon, Hencraft, L. Jones, S. Jones, Lopey, McMahon,

Mele, Mims, Parker, Poindexter, Wilson and Youngblood,

and District Attorney Egan.

David B. Kopel, Independence Institute, Denver, Colorado;

John Parker Sweeney, T. Sky Woodward and James W.

Porter, III, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP,

Washington, D.C., for Amici Curiae The Center for

Constitutional Jurisprudence and Gun Owners of California.

Brian S. Koukoutchos, Mandeville, Louisiana, for Amicus

Curiae Pink Pistols.

Gregory Silbert and Vanessa W. Chandis, Weil, Gotshal &

Manges, LLP, New York, New York, for Amicus Curiae

Everytown for Gun Safety.

Shannon S. Broome and Julia A. Miller, Katten Muchin

Roseman, LLP, Oakland, California; Jonathan K. Baum,

Katten Muchin Roseman LLP, Chicago, Illinois, for Amici

Curiae Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Cleveland

School Remembers.

Michael N. Feuer, City Attorney of Los Angeles, James P.

Clark, Chief Deputy City Attorney, Debra L. Gonzales,

Assistant City Attorney, Los Angeles, California, for Amicus

Curiae City of Los Angeles; Dennis J. Herrera, City Attorney

of San Francisco, Wayne Snodgrass and Christine Van Aken,

DeputyCityAttorneys, San Francisco, California, for Amicus

Curiae City and County of San Francisco.

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 5

Foster C. Johnson, Mayer Brown LLP, Palo Alto, California;

Jonathan Lowy and Robert Wilcox, Brady Center to Prevent

Gun Violence, Washington, D.C., for Amici Curiae Brady

Center To Prevent Gun Violence, the Major Chiefs

Association, and the International Brotherhood of Police

Officers.

OPINION

HAWKINS, Circuit Judge:

In this interlocutory appeal, Leonard Fyock, William

Douglas, Scott Hochstetler, David Pearson, Brad Seifers, and

Ron Swanson (collectively “Fyock”) challenge an order

denying their request to preliminarily enjoin an ordinance

recently enacted by the City of Sunnyvale, California

(“Sunnyvale”), restricting the possession of “large-capacity

magazines”—statutorily defined as a detachable ammunition

feeding device capable of accepting more than ten rounds. 

Fyock claims that Sunnyvale’s ordinance, part of a ballot

measure known as Measure C, violates his Second

Amendment right to keep and bear arms and will irreparably

harm him if not immediately enjoined.

We have jurisdiction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1292(a)(1). 

Because we find that the district court did not abuse its

discretion in deciding Fyock’s likelihood of success on the

merits of his constitutional challenge, we affirm.

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6 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL

HISTORY

The manufacture, sale, purchase, and possession of largecapacity magazines has been regulated in California for

approximately twenty years through a combination of federal

and state laws. In 1994, Congress enacted the Violent Crime

Control and Law Enforcement Act (“Crime Control Act”),

which proscribed, among other things, the possession of

“large capacity ammunition feeding devices”—also defined

as any magazine capable of accepting more than ten rounds

of ammunition. See Pub. L. 103-322, Sept. 13, 1994, 108

Stat. 1796, 1998–2000 (formerly codified at 18 U.S.C. § 922

(w)); see also San Diego Cnty. Gun Rights Comm. v. Reno,

98 F.3d 1121, 1124 (9th Cir. 1996). Beginning in 2000,

California criminalized the manufacture, sale, purchase,

transfer, and receipt of large-capacity magazines within the

state, but did not specifically criminalize the possession of

large-capacity magazines, which was covered at the time by

federal law. See CAL. PENAL CODE §§ 32310, 16740. In

2004, the Crime Control Act lapsed, leaving a “loophole”

permitting the possession of large-capacity magazines in

California.

In the wake of recent mass shootings and in recognition

of the “violence and harm caused by and resulting from both

the intentional and accidental misuse of guns,” Sunnyvale

sought to enhance public safety by enacting further gun safety

measures. In part, Sunnyvale sought to close the “loophole”

created by the expiration of the Crime Control Act. In

November 2013, Sunnyvale voters passed Measure C,

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 7

thereby amending the Municipal Code to include the largecapacity magazine restriction at issue in this appeal.1

In relevant part, Measure C, now codified at Sunnyvale,

Cal. Muni. Code §§ 9.44.030–060, provides:

No person may possess a large-capacity

magazine in the city of Sunnyvale whether

assembled or disassembled. For purposes of

this section, “large-capacitymagazine” means

any detachable ammunition feeding device

with the capacity to accept more than ten (10)

rounds, but shall not include any of the

following:

(1) A feeding device that has been

permanently altered so that it cannot

accommodate more than ten (10) rounds;

or

(2) A .22 caliber tubular ammunition

feeding device; or

(3) A tubular magazine that is contained

in a lever action firearm.

1

In full, Measure C adds four new regulationsto Sunnyvale’s Municipal

Code: (1) a reporting requirement for lost or stolen firearms within

Sunnyvale; (2) a firearm storage requirement; (3) a restriction on the

possession of large-capacity magazines; and (4) an ammunition sales

record-keeping requirement. See Sunnyvale, Cal. Muni. Code

§§ 9.44.030, 9.44.040, 9.44.050, 9.44.060. Only the third provision of

Measure C, codified at § 9.44.050, is at issue in this appeal and the

underlying merits action.

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8 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

Sunnyvale, Cal. Muni. Code § 9.44.050(a). The ordinance

contains multiple exceptions, which permit the possession of

large-capacity magazines within the city by certain

individuals and under certain circumstances. Id.

§ 9.44.050(c).

Measure C went into effect on December 6, 2013, and

covered individuals in Sunnyvale were given ninety

days—until March 6, 2014—to comply with the ordinance

by: (1) removing their large-capacity magazines from city

limits; (2) surrendering their large-capacity magazines to the

Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety; or (3) transferring

their large-capacity magazines to a licensed gunsmith. Id.

§ 9.44.050(b).

Fyock brought the underlying suit against Sunnyvale and

other individual defendants (collectively “Sunnyvale”)

challenging the constitutionality of Measure C. Fyock (along

with the other Plaintiffs) is a resident of Sunnyvale, who

currently owns large-capacity magazines and wishes to

possess those magazines within Sunnyvale’s city limits. 

Fyock moved for a preliminary injunction in an effort to

enjoin Measure C and forestall the March 6, 2014,

compliance date. The district court denied Fyock’s motion,

and Fyock filed a timely notice of appeal.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

We review the denial of a preliminary injunction for

abuse of discretion and the underlying legal principles de

novo. DISH Network Corp. v. F.C.C., 653 F.3d 771, 776 (9th

Cir. 2011). As a result, we are not called upon today to

determine the ultimate merits of Fyock’s claims. Instead, we

are called upon to determine whether the district court relied

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 9

on an erroneous legal premise or abused its discretion in

denyingFyock’s motion seeking preliminaryinjunctive relief. 

See Earth Island Inst. v. Carlton, 626 F.3d 462, 468 (9th Cir.

2010). In making this determination, we consider “whether

the decision was based on a consideration of the relevant

factors and whether there has been a clear error of judgment.” 

DISH Network Corp., 653 F.3d at 776 (quoting Sports Form,

Inc. v. United Press Int’l, Inc., 686 F.2d 750, 752 (9th

Cir.1982)).

As we have previously noted, there are limitations to

interlocutory appeals of this nature given the narrow scope of

our review:

[I]n some cases, parties appeal orders granting

or denying motions for preliminary

injunctions in order to ascertain the views of

the appellate court on the merits of the

litigation, but . . . due to the limited scope of

our review . . . our disposition of appeals from

most preliminary injunctions may provide

little guidance as to the appropriate

disposition on the merits and . . . such appeals

often result in unnecessary delay to the parties

and inefficient use of judicial resources.

Id. (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Mindful

of our task to determine only whether the district court

correctly distilled the applicable rules of law and exercised

permissible discretion in applying those rules to the facts at

hand, we turn to Fyock’s arguments and the district court’s

denial of the preliminary injunction.

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10 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

DISCUSSION

To obtain a preliminary injunction, Fyock was required to

show (1) he is likely to succeed on the merits of his claim,

(2) he is likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of

preliminary relief, (3) the balance of hardships tips in his

favor, and (4) a preliminary injunction is in the public

interest. Winter v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc., 555 U.S.

7, 20 (2008). Because we determine that the district court did

not abuse its discretion in finding Fyock failed to demonstrate

the first element for a preliminary injunction, we need not

reach the remaining elements. See Jackson v. City and Cnty.

of San Francisco, 746 F.3d 953, 970 (9th Cir. 2014); DISH

Network Corp., 653 F.3d at 776–77.2

I. Test for Evaluating Second Amendment Claims

The Second Amendment provides: “A well regulated

Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the

right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be

infringed.” U.S. CONST. amend. II. The Second Amendment

protects an individual right to keep and bear arms, District of

Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), that is fully

applicable to the states and municipalities, McDonald v. City

of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742, 750 (2010).

2 We note, however, that during the pendency of this appeal, Fyock

stipulated to a stay of the underlying merits action, stating that the stay

would cause him no harm and in fact would benefit him. Given this

concession, it seems unlikely Fyock could make the requisite showing of

irreparable harm to support the issuance of a preliminary injunction at this

time.

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 11

Second Amendment jurisprudence has changed

substantially in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark

decision in Heller. Heller struck down Washington D.C.’s

handgun ban, finding that a complete ban on the

“quintessential self-defense weapon” was historically

unprecedented and too severely diminished the core Second

Amendment right to survive constitutional scrutiny. 554 U.S.

at 628–29. In doing so, the Supreme Court confirmed that the

Second Amendment has “the core lawful purpose of selfdefense” and “elevates above all other interests the right of

law-abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of

hearth and home.” Id. at 630, 635. But, the right to keep and

bear arms is limited, and regulation of the right in keeping

with the text and history of the Second Amendment is

permissible. Id. at 626.

To evaluate post-Heller Second Amendment claims, the

Ninth Circuit, consistent with the majority of our sister

circuits, employs a two-prong test: (1) the court “asks

whether the challenged law burdens conduct protected by the

Second Amendment”; and (2) if so, what level of scrutiny

should be applied. United States v. Chovan, 735 F.3d 1127,

1136 (9th Cir. 2013).

II. Application to Measure C

Turning to the facts of this case, we consider whether the

district court erred in its application of the two-prong test

established in Chovan, and we find there was no abuse of

discretion.

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12 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

A. Burden on Conduct Protected by the Second

Amendment

The Second Amendment right is “not a right to keep and

carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and

for whatever purpose.” Heller, 554 U.S. at 626. The

Supreme Court has emphasized that nothing in its recent

opinions is intended to cast doubt on the constitutionality of

longstanding prohibitions traditionally understood to be

outside the scope of the Second Amendment. Id. at 626–27. 

Importantly, the Second Amendment does not “protect those

weapons not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for

lawful purposes.” Id. at 625 (citing United States v. Miller,

307 U.S. 174 (1939)). Thus, longstanding prohibitions on the

possession of “dangerous and unusual weapons” have

uniformly been recognized as falling outside the scope of the

Second Amendment. Id.; see also United States v. Henry,

688 F.3d 637, 640 (9th Cir. 2012) (machine guns are

“dangerous and unusual” weapons).

The district court could have found that Sunnyvale’s

ordinance does not burden conduct protected by the Second

Amendment if the record contained evidence that largecapacity magazines have been the subject of longstanding,

accepted regulation or are otherwise “dangerous and unusual”

weapons understood to be outside the scope of the Second

Amendment. See Jackson, 746 F.3d at 960; Chovan,

735 F.3d at 1137.

1. Longstanding Regulation

The parties did not provide evidence regarding the

historical prevalence and regulation of large-capacity

magazines. Thus, the district court was unable to analyze

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 13

whether the regulation resembled prohibitions historically

exempted from the Second Amendment.

On appeal, Sunnyvale and its amici point to several state

regulations from the early twentieth centurythat restricted the

possession of firearms based on the number of rounds that the

firearm could discharge automatically or semi-automatically

without reloading. Although not from the founding era, these

early twentieth century regulations might nevertheless

demonstrate a history of longstanding regulation if their

historical prevalence and significance is properly developed

in the record. See Nat’l Rifle Ass’n of Am. v. Bureau of

Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 700 F.3d 185,

196 (5th Cir. 2012) (“Heller demonstrates that a regulation

can be deemed ‘longstanding’ even if it cannot boast a precise

founding-era analogue.”).

The district court did not abuse its discretion by

concluding that Fyock failed to show a likelihood of success

on the merits even if Measure C burdens conduct protected by

the Second Amendment. Consequently, we need not

determine at this juncture whether firing-capacity regulations

are among the longstanding prohibitions that fall outside of

the Second Amendment’s scope.3

3 This court has previously discouraged bypassing the historical analysis

step and assuming without deciding that conduct burdens the Second

Amendment. Peruta v. Cnty. of San Diego, 742 F.3d 1144, 1167 (9th Cir.

2014). At this early, preliminary injunction stage, however, we do not

find it necessary to independently undertake a historical analysis that was

unavailable to the district court due to an undeveloped record. As the

merits action proceeds and the parties develop the record, the district court

will be able to adequately assess the historical roots and implications of

firing-capacity regulations.

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14 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

2. Dangerous and Unusual Weapons

Measure C would also be outside the scope of the Second

Amendment if large-capacity magazines are “dangerous and

unusual weapons.” See Heller, 554 U.S. at 627; Henry,

688 F.3d at 640. To determine this, we consider whether the

weapon has uniquely dangerous propensities and whether the

weapon is commonly possessed by law-abiding citizens for

lawful purposes. Henry, 688 F.3d at 640.

Regulation of a weapon not typically possessed by lawabiding citizens for lawful purposes does not implicate the

Second Amendment. Heller v. District of Columbia,

670 F.3d 1244, 1260 (D.C. Cir. 2011) [hereafter Heller II];

United States v. Marzzarella, 614 F.3d 85, 93–94 (3d Cir.

2010) (guns with obliterated serial numbers); United States v.

Fincher, 538 F.3d 868, 874 (8th Cir. 2008) (machine guns).

Although Sunnyvale presented evidence regarding the

increased danger posed by large-capacity magazines, it did

not present significant evidence to show that large-capacity

magazines are also “unusual.”4Instead, Fyock presented

evidence that magazines, including some meeting

4 But for the Crime Control Act’s 2004 expiration, which lifted the

national restrictions on the possession of large-capacity magazines,

Sunnyvale’s reliance on the regulatory prohibitions on possession oflargecapacity magazines would be persuasive evidence that the magazines are

“unusual.” See Henry, 688 F.3d at 640 (“A machine gun is ‘unusual’

because private possession of all new machine guns, as well as all existing

machine guns that were not lawfully possessed before the enactment of

§ 922(o) has been unlawful since 1986. Outside of a few governmentrelated uses, machine guns largely exist on the black market.”). And, as

Fyock conceded at oral argument, there must be some level at which

magazines of a heightened capacity are “unusual.”

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 15

Sunnyvale’s definition of large-capacity magazines, are

frequently offered for commercial sale and marketed for selfdefense. He also presented sales statistics indicating that

millions of magazines, some of which again were magazines

fitting Sunnyvale’s definition of large-capacity magazines,

have been sold over the last two decades in the United States.

Because Fyock relies primarily on marketing materials

and sales statistics, his evidence does not necessarily show

that large-capacitymagazines are in fact commonlypossessed

by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes. However, we

cannot say that the district court abused its discretion by

inferring from the evidence of record that, at a minimum,

magazines are in common use. And, to the extent that certain

firearms capable of use with a magazine—e.g., certain semiautomatic handguns5—are commonly possessed by lawabiding citizens for lawful purposes, our case law supports

the conclusion that there must also be some corollary, albeit

not unfettered, right to possess the magazines necessary to

render those firearms operable. See Jackson, 746 F.3d at 967

(right to possess firearms implies corresponding right to

possess ammunition necessary to use them).

The district court applied the appropriate legal principles

and did not clearly err in finding, based on the record before

it, that a regulation restricting possession of certain types of

magazines burdens conduct falling within the scope of the

Second Amendment.

5 We do not opine today on the constitutionality of any regulations

regarding semi-automatic handguns nor do we suggest that such a

regulation could not pass constitutional muster. We simply recognize that

based on the evidence of record at the time of its ruling, the district court’s

conclusions were not clearly erroneous.

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16 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

B. Level of Scrutiny

We next consider whether the district court abused its

discretion by applying intermediate scrutiny or by finding

that Measure C survived intermediate scrutiny.

1. Determination of the Appropriate Level of

Scrutiny

The district court correctly recognized that to determine

the appropriate level of scrutiny, the court must consider

(1) how closely the law comes to the core of the Second

Amendment right; and (2) how severely, if at all, the law

burdens that right. Chovan, 735 F.3d at 1138. Intermediate

scrutiny is appropriate if the regulation at issue does not

implicate the core Second Amendment right or does not place

a substantial burden on that right. Jackson, 746 F.3d at 964.

The D.C. Circuit is the only circuit court to date that has

analyzed the constitutionality of a law prohibiting the

possession of large-capacity magazines. In its well-reasoned

opinion, the court explained that D.C.’s “prohibition of . . .

large-capacity magazines does not effectively disarm

individuals or substantially affect their ability to defend

themselves.” Heller II, 670 F.3d at 1262. Therefore, the

regulation’s burden on the core Second Amendment right was

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 17

not substantial and warranted intermediate scrutiny review.6

Id. at 1261–62.

Here, the district court similarly concluded that Measure

C likely reaches the core Second Amendment right, but its

resulting impact on that right is not severe. Because Measure

C restricts the ability of law-abiding citizens to possess largecapacity magazines within their homes for the purpose of

self-defense, we agree with the district court that Measure C

may implicate the core of the Second Amendment. Compare

Jackson, 746 F.3d at 963 (handgun storage law implicated

core right because it applied to law-abiding citizens’

possession of handguns within the home for self defense);

with Chovan, 735 F.3d at 1138 (law prohibiting firearm

possession by violent misdemeanant did not implicate core

right because it did not regulate possession by law-abiding

citizens). Consistent with the reasoning of our sister circuit,

we also agree that intermediate scrutiny is appropriate.

Measure C is simply not as sweeping as the complete

handgun ban at issue in Heller and does not warrant a finding

6 All federal district courts to consider a restriction on the possession of

large-capacity magazines have also applied intermediate scrutiny and

found that the regulation at issue survived intermediate scrutiny. See

Friedman v. City of Highland Park, No.1:13-cv-09973, 2014 WL

4684944, *1, *9–10 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 18, 2014) (local law prohibiting

possession of magazines over ten rounds survived intermediate scrutiny);

San Francisco Veteran Police Officers Ass’n v. City and Cnty. of San

Francisco, 18 F. Supp. 3d 997, 1003 (N.D. Cal. 2014) (same); Shew v.

Malloy, 994 F. Supp. 2d 234, 247–50 (D. Conn. 2014) (same); N.Y. State

Rifle and Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Cuomo, 990 F. Supp. 2d 349, 365–67, 371

(W.D.N.Y. 2013) (same); see also Colo. Outfitters Ass’n v. Hickenlooper,

No. 13-cv-01300-MSK-MJW, 2014 WL 3058518, *3, *15–18 (D. Colo.

June 26, 2014) (local law prohibiting possession ofmagazines over fifteen

rounds survived intermediate scrutiny).

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18 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

that it cannot survive constitutional scrutiny of any level. 

Indeed, Measure C does not affect the ability of law-abiding

citizens to possess the “quintessential self-defense

weapon”—the handgun. See Heller, 554 U.S. at 629. Rather,

Measure C restricts possession of only a subset of magazines

that are over a certain capacity. It does not restrict the

possession of magazines in general such that it would render

any lawfully possessed firearms inoperable, nor does it

restrict the number of magazines that an individual may

possess. To the extent that a lawfully possessed firearm

could not function with a lower capacity magazine, Measure

C contains an exception that would allow possession of a

large-capacity magazine for use with that firearm. 

Sunnyvale, Cal. Muni. Code § 9.44.050(c)(8).

For these reasons, there was no abuse of discretion in

finding that the impact Measure C may have on the core

Second Amendment right is not severe and that intermediate

scrutiny is warranted. See Jackson, 746 F.3d at 961

(“[F]irearm regulations which leave open alternative channels

for self-defense are less likely to place a severe burden on the

Second Amendment right than those which do not.”); Heller

II, 670 F.3d at 1262.

2. Application of Intermediate Scrutiny

Finally, we consider whether the district court abused its

discretion in finding that Measure C was likely to survive

intermediate scrutiny. In the context of Second Amendment

challenges, intermediate scrutiny requires: “(1) the

government’s stated objective to be significant, substantial,

or important; and (2) a reasonable fit between the challenged

regulation and the asserted objective.” Chovan, 735 F.3d at

1139.

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 19

To survive intermediate scrutiny, Sunnyvale was not

required to show that Measure C is the least restrictive means

of achieving its interest. Jackson, 746 F.3d at 966 (citing

Ward v. Rock Against Racism, 491 U.S. 781, 798 (1989)). 

Instead, Sunnyvale was required to show only that Measure

C promotes a “substantial government interest that would be

achieved less effectively absent the regulation.” Colacurcio

v. City of Kent, 163 F.3d 545, 553 (9th Cir. 1998) (internal

quotation marks omitted). When reviewing the reasonable fit

between the government’s stated objective and the regulation

at issue, the court may consider “the legislative history of the

enactment as well as studies in the record or cited in pertinent

case law.” Jackson, 746 F.3d at 966 (citing Chovan, 735 F.3d

at 1140).

Sunnyvale’s foremost stated objective for enacting

Measure C is to promote public safety by reducing the harm

of intentional and accidental gun use. Measure C is also

intended to reduce violent crime and reduce the danger of gun

violence, particularly in the context of mass shootings and

crimes against law enforcement. It is “self-evident” that

Sunnyvale’s interests in promoting public safetyand reducing

violent crime are substantial and important government

interests. See Chovan, 735 F.3d at 1139; see also Madsen v.

Women’s Health Ctr., Inc., 512 U.S. 753, 768 (1994). So,

too, are Sunnyvale’s interests in reducing the harm and

lethality of gun injuries in general, see Jackson, 746 F.3d at

970, and in particular as against law enforcement officers, see

Heller II, 670 F.3d at 328.

Sunnyvale was entitled to rely on any evidence

“reasonably believed to be relevant” to substantiate its

important interests. See City of Renton v. Playtime Theaters,

Inc., 475 U.S. 41, 52 (1986). Sunnyvale presented evidence

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20 FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE

that the use of large-capacity magazines results in more

gunshots fired, results in more gunshot wounds per victim,

and increases the lethality of gunshot injuries. Sunnyvale

also presented evidence that large-capacity magazines are

disproportionately used in mass shootings as well as crimes

against law enforcement, and it presented studies showing

that a reduction in the number of large-capacitymagazines in

circulation may decrease the use of such magazines in gun

crimes. Ultimately, the district court found that Sunnyvale

“submitted pages of credible evidence, from study data to

expert testimony to the opinions of Sunnyvale public

officials, indicating that the Sunnyvale ordinance is

substantially related to the compelling government interest in

public safety.”

In this appeal, Fyock asks us to re-weigh the evidence and

overturn the district court’s evidentiary determinations—in

effect, to substitute our discretion for that of the district court. 

The district court considered Fyock’s counter-evidence

regarding the use of large-capacitymagazines for self-defense

purposes. But, the district court gave little weight to that

evidence because the record also contained studies indicating

that most defensive gun use incidents involved fewer than ten

rounds of ammunition. Other studies suggest that any impact

Measure C may have on the defensive use of large-capacity

magazines mayalso further Sunnyvale’s interest in promoting

public safety. See Heller II, 670 F.3d at 1263–64 (citing

study finding that defenders using large-capacity magazines

are likely to “keep firing until all bullets have been expended,

which poses grave risks to others in the household, passersby,

and bystanders”). In any event, the district court was not

required to find that the ordinance is the least restrictive

means of achieving Sunnyvale’s interest. Jackson, 746 F.3d

at 966 (a city must be allowed “a reasonable opportunity to

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FYOCK V. CITY OF SUNNYVALE 21

experiment with solutions to admittedly serious problems.”

(quoting City of Renton, 475 U.S. at 52)).

The evidence identified by the district court is precisely

the type of evidence that Sunnyvale was permitted to rely

upon to substantiate its interest, City of Renton, 475 U.S. at

51–52, and that the district court was permitted to review

under the lens of intermediate scrutiny, Jackson, 746 F.3d at

966. We cannot say that the district court’s weighing of the

evidence or credibilitydeterminations were clearlyerroneous,

and we decline to substitute our own discretion for that of the

district court.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the district court did not abuse its

discretion in determining, on the record before it, that

Sunnyvale presented sufficient evidence to show that

Measure C was likely to survive intermediate scrutiny and

that Fyock failed to demonstrate that he would likely succeed

on the merits of his claim. Therefore, we affirm the district

court’s denial of Fyock’s motion for a preliminary injunction. 

AFFIRMED.

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