Supreme Court to decide legality of AR-15 bans

Court Battles Supreme Court to decide legality of AR-15 bans Comments: by Zach Schonfeld - 06/30/26 12:21 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Zach Schonfeld - 06/30/26 12:21 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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The Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to take up whether possessing AR-15s and similar assault-style rifles are protected by the Second Amendment, a major gun rights case that is set to impact bans passed in roughly 10 states.

The justices said they would hear challenges to bans enacted in Connecticut and the Chicago area. The case is set to be heard next term.

At the center of the battle is whether AR-15s and similar weapons are entitled to the Second Amendment’s protections. In defending their restrictions, the states argue they don’t qualify as “arms” that people have the constitutional right to bear.

The Supreme Court is now set to provide a nationwide resolution. Oral arguments are expected after the court’s next term kicks off in October, with a ruling likely by next year.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates roughly 32 million modern sporting rifles are in circulation.

Various state bans have rippled through the judiciary particularly since the high court’s conservative majority handed down an expanded Second Amendment test, which requires a historical analogue for a modern gun control measure to be upheld.

Though each law defines them differently, 10 states have passed “assault weapons” bans, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that supports strengthened gun control measures. The Supreme Court decision could stand to impact laws in all those states.

The high court sat on the requests to get involved for months. Week after week, the justices emerged from their closed-door conferences with no announcement.

Tuesday’s news comes after the justices cleared out their Second Amendment docket from this term. The justices limited the government’s ability to prosecute people for gun possession merely because they smoke marijuana occasionally and invalidated Hawaii’s gun-carry restrictions on private property.

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