A federal appeals court on Tuesday halted New Mexico’s seven-day waiting period for gun purchases, ruling that it likely infringes on citizens’ Second Amendment rights.

The 2-1 ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals leaves the law on hold pending a legal challenge and returns the case to a lower court.

The waiting period went into effect in May of last year and included violators being subject to a misdemeanor, but it does have an exception for concealed permit holders. Democrats had enacted the measure in an effort to allow for more time for federal background checks on gun buyers to be completed.

"Cooling-off periods do not fit into any historically grounded exceptions to the right to keep and bear arms, and burden conduct within the Second Amendment’s scope," Judge Timothy Tymkovich wrote for the majority. "We conclude that New Mexico's Waiting Period Act is likely an unconstitutional burden on the Second Amendment rights of its citizens."

NRA AND CONSERVATIVE LEGAL GROUP SUE DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR OVER 7-DAY WAITING PERIOD TO BUY GUNS

The Mountain States Legal Foundation and National Rifle Association filed the lawsuit on behalf of two New Mexico residents, arguing that the law was unconstitutional and delayed access to firearms for victims of domestic violence and other citizens.

The lawsuit referenced the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 2022 decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen in which a new standard to determine whether a gun restriction is unconstitutional was established. To meet that standard, the government must show there is a "historical tradition of firearm regulation" that supports the law.

Michael McCoy, director of the Mountain States Legal Foundation’s Center to Keep and Bear Arms, celebrated the ruling.

"The court found that there was no analogous law from that era that would support the modern day law that’s at issue," McCoy said. "For now, it means New Mexicans can go buy their firearms without an arbitrary delay imposed."

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES CALIFORNIA AMMUNITION BACKGROUND CHECKS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, also praised the court's decision, saying it "serves as a key piece in dismantling similar gun control laws across the country."

In a dissent, Judge Scott Matheson argued that New Mexico's waiting period "establishes a condition or qualification on the commercial sale of arms that does not serve abusive ends."

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said she was disappointed with the ruling and claimed it would likely cost lives.

"New Mexico’s waiting period law was carefully crafted to minimize gun violence while respecting Second Amendment rights," Lujan Grisham said in a statement, pointing to other exceptions for gun purchases by law enforcement officers and transactions between immediate family members.

"Waiting periods prevent impulsive acts of violence and suicide, giving people time to step back and reassess their emotions during moments of crisis," she added.

Since she was sworn in as governor in 2019, Lujan Grisham has signed several gun control measures, including a "red flag" law allowing a court to temporarily remove guns from people suspected of being at risk of hurting themselves or others and restrictions on firearms near polling places.

In 2023, the governor suspended the right to carry guns in public parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque in response to shootings across the state that killed children.

Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in Albuquerque earlier this year, saying that a significant uptick in crime warranted the help of the state's National Guard. She also declared a state of emergency last week over violent crime and drug trafficking across parts of northern New Mexico.

Legal experts have said the ruling could have wider consequences because other states, including California, Hawaii and Illinois, have imposed similar restrictions on gun purchases. In New Mexico, the waiting period applies to all licensed dealer firearm sales for handguns and long guns.  The only exception applies to concealed carry permit holders, law enforcement and immediate family transfers. Those in support of the waiting period laws argue that research links the law to reduced suicides and crimes of passion limiting impulsive behavior.  Officials in New Mexico have not said if they will seek review from the full 10th Circuit or appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

An eighth person allegedly involved in the violent street brawl in Cincinnati, Ohio that left several people injured last month has been charged, police said. 

The unidentified 45-year-old White man is charged with disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, for his alleged role in the July 26 melee in the city's downtown. 

The man is also considered by police to be a victim of the brawl, which prevents authorities from releasing his name under Marsy's Law, which gives crime victims the option to have their names withheld from public release.

CINCINNATI FELON WITH 22 PRIOR ARRESTS INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY SNATCHING VICTIM'S CHAIN DURING VIRAL BEATDOWN

He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 26. 

The fight broke out in the early morning hours on the corner of Fourth and Elm streets. Footage of the brawl quickly went viral.

Last week, a seventh suspect, Gregory Wright, 32, was charged with alleged aggravated riot and aggravated robbery.

SEVENTH CINCINNATI ASSAULT SUSPECT ARRESTED OVER VIOLENT BEATDOWN

Police allege Wright "did by force rip the necklace off the victim while he was being assaulted by four or more co-defendants attempting to cause serious physical harm," according to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox 19. 

Wright allegedly snatched the victim’s necklace during the beating before proceeding "to film the rest of the events," the outlet reported. 

Earlier this month, six defendants were indicted by a grand jury for their alleged roles in the beatdown.

Patrick Rosemond, 38, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, DeKyra Vernon, 24, Dominique Kittle, 37, and Aisha Devaughn, 25, are each charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three charges of assault and two charges of aggravated rioting, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.