A federal appeals court has cleared the way for California’s state law banning firearms in most public places to take effect in early 2024, suspending a court ruling that found the measure to be in violation of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution and therefore unconstitutional.

The law, which will go into effect Jan. 1 and was signed into law in September by California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, was enacted following a June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun ownership nationwide by ruling on the strict New York gun license status.

California, which has one of the strictest gun laws in the United States, is among a group of US states with similarly strict laws and has moved after the Supreme Court’s decision to overhaul its gun laws.

Under the new California state law, citizens cannot carry concealed weapons in 26 categories of “sensitive places” such as hospitals, playgrounds, zoos and places of religious worship regardless of whether they have a gun license.

The law also prohibits citizens from carrying weapons on private commercial premises that are open to the public, unless the owner of the premises posts a sign that permits gun license holders to carry weapons on his property.

In a related lawsuit on the same issue, a federal appeals court ruled Dec. 8 that New York state can ban gun owners from carrying guns in many “sensitive places,” such as parks, zoos, bars and theaters.