US Supreme Court rejects appeals on assault rifle restrictions
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The US Supreme Court declines to hear challenges to Maryland and Rhode Island bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, keeping the laws intact.
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A row of AR-15 style rifles at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) National Services Center, March 2, 2023, in Martinsburg, West Virginia (AP)
The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear two closely watched cases challenging state laws that ban assault-style rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines, effectively allowing such restrictions to remain in place for now.
The decision leaves intact rulings from lower courts in Maryland and Rhode Island that upheld state-level bans targeting semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 and large-capacity magazines exceeding 10 rounds.
The move represents a temporary reprieve for advocates of gun regulation, as the Court opted not to intervene in disputes that could have further expanded the interpretation of the Second Amendment. Three of the Court’s conservative justices, namely Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch, dissented, signaling their disapproval of the Court’s refusal to hear the appeals.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, while not joining the dissent, wrote separately to express support for the challengers’ argument that AR-15-style rifles are in “common use” by law-abiding citizens, and thus constitutionally protected. He suggested the Court would “presumably address the AR–15 issue soon,” signaling future litigation may return to the docket.
Maryland sets a precedent
Maryland’s 2013 ban on military-style rifles was enacted in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Connecticut, where 20 children and six adults were killed with an AR-15.
The law, which criminalizes possession of such firearms with penalties of up to three years in prison, was challenged by gun rights groups, including the Firearms Policy Coalition. However, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ban, ruling the weapons were “excessively dangerous” and “ill-suited for self-defense.”
“The Constitution should not be wielded to shield instruments of mass killing from democratic oversight,” the court concluded in its 2024 ruling.
Rhode Island's ban on large magazines
In a separate case, Rhode Island’s 2022 law banning magazines that hold more than 10 rounds was also allowed to stand.
Gun owners and dealers who challenged the law claimed it violated both the Second Amendment and the Fifth Amendment’s protections against uncompensated property seizures. But the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals rejected those arguments, deeming the magazine limits a “mild restriction” on a particularly dangerous accessory that poses a unique threat during mass shootings.
Both groups of plaintiffs accused the states of disregarding the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which set a new standard requiring firearm restrictions to align with “the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” They argued that the banned weapons and magazines are in “common use” and thus protected.
GOP reluctant to amend gun laws
While the Court’s refusal to take up the cases does not establish a binding national precedent, it reflects a continued reluctance by some members of the conservative majority to aggressively revisit and expand gun rights amid mounting national concern over mass shootings.
Recent Supreme Court rulings on firearms have been mixed: last year, the Court struck down a Trump-era federal ban on bump stocks, while upholding President Biden’s regulation of untraceable “ghost guns.”
Legal observers note that Monday’s decision leaves open the possibility for the Court to revisit these restrictions in the near future, particularly as divergent rulings on Second Amendment rights emerge across appellate courts nationwide.
