California is appealing a federal judge's ruling that overturned the state's assault weapon ban

• A federal judge last week overturned California's assault weapon ban, calling it "unconstitutional."
• California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced he would be appealing the ruling on Thursday.
• He called the ruling "disturbing and troubling and of great concern."

California's Attorney General appealed a federal judge's ruling that overturned the state's ban on assault weapons.

Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a news conference on Thursday that the decision to overturn the ban was "disturbing and troubling and of great concern," according to NBC News.

"Equating firearms that have been used in many of the deadliest mass shootings in this country with Swiss Army knives has no basis in law or fact," Bonta separately said in a press release. "The ban on assault weapons will not put an end to all gun violence, but it is one important tool the state has to protect the safety of Californians while also respecting the rights of law-abiding residents who choose to possess firearms. We have appealed the district court's ruling and will continue our defense of the state's commonsense gun laws."

Last week US District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego overturned California's 32-year-old ban on assault weapons in an opinion in which he called the ban "unconstitutional."