Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Joseph James struck down three Pittsburgh gun-control ordinances. The ordinances were passed in response to last year’s mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue and were widely supported by Mayor Bill Peduto and several City Council members.

The gun-control ordinances regulated the use of assault weapons and prohibited the use of large-capacity magazines in any public place within the city. They also provided a process by which courts could enter orders prohibiting possession or acquisition of firearms by those presenting an “imminent threat” to themselves or others.

The opinion held that the ordinances were preempted by state laws, specifically the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act (UFA). The UFA regulates “the entire field of firearms and ammunition across the state of Pennsylvania.” The judge also referenced the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in Huntley, which held that:

Even where the state has granted powers to act in a particular field…such powers do not exist if the Commonwealth preempts the field. Local legislation cannot permit what a state statute or regulation forbids or prohibit what state enactments allow.

Tim McNulty, a spokesman for Mayor Peduto, says the city will appeal the decision.