(Reuters) -A divided federal appeals court on Thursday said California's first-of-its-kind law requiring firearm owners to undergo background checks to buy ammunition is unconstitutional, violating the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

In dueling statements, the California Rifle & Pistol Association praised Thursday’s ruling against the state’s background check law as a “massive victory for gun owners in California,” while Gov. Gavin Newsom called the decision a “slap in the face.”

A federal appeals court says a California law requiring background checks to buy bullets is unconstitutional. Voters passed the law in 2016 and it took effect in 2019.