The categorical ban that prevents illegal aliens from possessing firearms does not violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court held. The ruling by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit came July 29 in United States v. Perez, court file 19-620-cr. Cam Edwards writes at Bearing Arms that the ruling is “an odd decision, in that the judges didn’t actually rule on whether or not the Second Amendment protects the rights of illegal aliens to possess a firearm.” In the case, the defendant Javier Perez appealed from a conviction for possessing a firearm and ammunition while unlawfully present in the United States. He had fired a gun to break up a gang fight and was charged with violating the federal ban. Perez was born in rural Mexico in 1989 and entered the U.S. without permission at age 13, according to the court. From entry …