In a small victory, a federal appeals panel ruled Monday that California’s ban on assault weapons can stay in force until the full court reviews a district judge’s decision invalidating it. It could be months before the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs in the ban, and then the case could easily end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. But Monday’s order means that California can keep the ban in place until that happens, the Los Angeles Times reported. “We won’t stop defending these life-saving laws,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta tweeted. Earlier this month, Judge Roger T. Benitez, a Second Amendment champion, overturned the ban, comparing an AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife.