A company specializing in self-defense weapons has taken legal action against California Governor Gavin Newsom, claiming that the state’s stringent gun laws infringe upon the Second Amendment by hindering access to less-lethal self-defense products. This lawsuit was filed on a Wednesday.
Brian Ganz, the CEO of Blaina Technologies, explained that their product, which looks like a revolver but discharges a potent chemical irritant instead of a bullet, is permissible across all 50 states. However, he noted that California has prohibited Barna from selling the necessary ammunition and launchers. “It’s easier for Californians to obtain a permit for a deadly weapon than to carry a Verna gun with chemical irritant ammunition,” Gantz stated. He suggested that this situation could push individuals toward purchasing lethal arms, garnering mixed support in the ongoing Second Amendment discussion from both conservative and liberal perspectives.
The complaint was lodged in a federal court located in Southern California and argues that Verna weapons should be viewed similarly to Tasers and stun guns, which have received Second Amendment protections in significant Supreme Court rulings in recent decades.
In a notable 2008 verdict, District of Columbia v. Heller recognized that the right to bear arms extends to all types of hand-held weapons, even those not available at the time the amendment was ratified. Meanwhile, the 2016 case Cayetano v. Massachusetts specifically addressed stun guns, where a lower court mistakenly believed women were not entitled to own more modern forms of self-defense.
Currently, California law bans the purchase of “tear gas,” categorizing Bryna’s non-lethal munitions as such.
Had the ban not been legally challenged, Bryna’s representatives argue, they would have supplied pepper launchers to a substantial California market of potential buyers looking for non-lethal defensive options.
If successful in California, Gantz has indicated they would likely pursue similar legal action against New York, which has also restricted the sale of their less-lethal weapons.
The company promotes its Pepper Projectile launcher as a tool to incapacitate an attacker without causing fatal harm, claiming it can disable a person for up to 45 minutes.
Gantz emphasized that a significant portion of the burners sold recently highlights the prevalent use of such self-defense devices. He mentioned that over three-quarters of these burners have been sold in the past six years, showcasing their commonality.
In the last few years, Governor Newsom has enacted numerous laws aimed at curbing the sale and ownership of firearms, including a set of bills in 2023 that expanded background checks and further restricted firearm ownership.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom’s office for a response regarding the lawsuit.
