The trial court had originally dismissed the suit as "unripe" because no person had been prosecuted yet, but the Court of Appeal reversed that decision, not only deciding that the case was ripe for decision, but also ruling on the merits that the ordinance is invalid. The case was sent back to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with the opinion, meaning a formal judgment in favor of the plaintiffs (NRA and law-abiding gun owners) and against the City must be entered by the trial judge.
NRA Past President Marion P. Hammer, commenting on the ruling, stated, "City and county officials are not above the law. There was really no other way [the court] could rule because the statutes are abundantly clear." Similar trigger-lock ordinances have been passed by other jurisdictions besides the City of South Miami, and the decision of the Court of Appeal in this case makes clear that these ordinances are also without legal authority.
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