(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.

An appeals court struck down a law that mandated background checks for California residents buying ammunition. The measure was approved by voters in 2016.

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.