WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a pair of challenges to state and local bans on assault-style semiautomatic rifles, setting up a closely watched Second Amendment case that could reshape firearm regulations across the United States.
The justices granted review of challenges to an assault weapons ban in Connecticut and a similar ordinance in Cook County, Illinois, after lower federal courts upheld both measures. The consolidated cases will be argued during the court's next term, with a decision expected by the end of the term in 2027.
The central legal question is whether prohibitions on firearms such as AR-15-style rifles violate the Second Amendment under the Supreme Court's modern framework for evaluating gun regulations. That framework, established in the court's 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, requires governments to show that firearm restrictions are consistent with the nation's historical tradition of gun regulation.
Gun rights advocates argue the banned rifles are among the most commonly owned firearms in the United States and therefore are protected because they are in "common use" for lawful purposes. The challengers contend that states cannot prohibit an entire class of firearms widely possessed by law-abiding citizens.
Connecticut and Cook County have defended their laws as constitutional public safety measures, arguing the firearms covered by the bans are especially dangerous and comparable to military-style weapons that fall outside the scope of Second Amendment protection. Connecticut enacted its law following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and later expanded the restrictions. Cook County has maintained its assault weapons ordinance for decades.
The dispute comes as the court's 6-3 conservative majority has continued to expand gun rights in a series of recent decisions while leaving some longstanding firearm restrictions intact. Lower courts reviewing assault weapons bans have reached differing conclusions while applying the Bruen standard, increasing pressure on the high court to provide further guidance.
Similar assault weapons restrictions are in effect in roughly a dozen states, including California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington. A ruling striking down the Connecticut and Cook County laws could have broad implications for those measures, while a decision upholding them would clarify the extent to which governments may regulate semiautomatic rifles under the Second Amendment.
The Supreme Court has not yet announced a date for oral arguments, which are expected during its upcoming term.
