Supreme Court to Weigh Constitutional Protection for AR-15 Rifles

Key Points:

• The Supreme Court will review the constitutionality of state and local bans on semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15 in the upcoming term starting October, focusing on cases from Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut.
• These cases challenge laws enacted in response to mass shootings, including Connecticut's ban following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy where an AR-15 style rifle was used.
• Fourteen states and the District of Columbia currently have similar assault weapon restrictions, which are now under scrutiny amid expanding gun rights debates.
• Gun rights advocates argue that the widespread ownership of AR-15s for lawful purposes such as self-defense and hunting warrants Second Amendment protections, citing a 2008 precedent limiting bans to “dangerous and unusual” weapons.
• The Supreme Court recently broadened gun rights by striking down Hawaii’s permitting requirement for carrying firearms on private property and narrowing federal restrictions on gun ownership by drug users.