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A Supreme Court Case on AR-15s Could Hinge on Their ‘Common Use’
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- The Supreme Court has agreed to hear cases this fall that challenge bans on assault weapons, focusing on the constitutional question of what makes a gun both "dangerous and unusual."
- The conservative majority may either reinforce prior rulings that expanded Second Amendment rights or reconsider the legal standards, such as the "dangerous and unusual" test, which has caused confusion in lower courts.
- Advocates for gun control argue that AR-15-style rifles are clearly dangerous, citing numerous mass shootings, while gun rights supporters contend these rifles are widely owned and thus not unusual, questioning what the Second Amendment truly protects if such weapons are banned.
- The court's decision, expected by next summer, follows landmark rulings like District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022), which affirmed individual rights to own firearms for self-defense and carry them in public.
