{"id":2632964,"date":"2026-07-21T07:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T11:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/assault-weapons-bans-are-on-their-way-to-the-supreme-court\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T07:41:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T11:41:05","slug":"assault-weapons-bans-are-on-their-way-to-the-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/assault-weapons-bans-are-on-their-way-to-the-supreme-court\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Assault weapons&#8217; bans are on their way to the Supreme Court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fassault-weapons-bans-are-on-their-way-to-the-supreme-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2632964&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Supreme Court is preparing to review a important Second Amendment case involving bans on popular firearms such as AR-15 rifles, with the decision expected during the next term. The consolidated cases challenge bans in Illinois and Connecticut, questioning whether these restrictions violate the Second and 14th Amendments. Legal experts and gun rights advocates believe this ruling could be as impactful as landmark decisions like District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle &#038; Pistol Association v. Bruen, perhaps setting a new precedent on which firearms are constitutionally protected. The case has garnered attention because AR-15s are among the most common rifles in the U.S., and bans on such weapons could <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >effectively prohibit widespread firearm ownership<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Gun rights advocates enter the case with strong momentum, citing recent wins in lower courts and appeals courts, including decisions striking down bans in Virginia and New Jersey. Supporters argue that these firearms are not niche or exceptional but are standard among American gun owners. Legal experts suggest that a ruling favoring gun rights could significantly limit the ability of states to impose broad restrictions on popular firearms.<\/p>\n<p>While the court has not yet scheduled the case for argument, it is expected sometime between late 2026 and early 2027, with a ruling by June 2027. Experts note that even if the Supreme Court strikes down current bans, states are likely to pursue new regulations, such as stricter permitting processes. the outcome of this case could drastically shape the future landscape of gun laws and Second Amendment rights in the United States.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"203\">Supreme Court<\/a> is set to weigh into a massive <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/second-amendment\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1043\">Second Amendment<\/a> legal war over bans on some of the most popular firearms in the country, teeing up the high court\u2019s most critical gun ruling in half a decade during the next term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The high court will examine whether \u201cassault weapons\u201d bans, which typically outlaw the purchase of AR-15 and similar semiautomatic rifles, are constitutional under the Second and 14th amendments. The pair of lawsuits, which were consolidated before the Supreme Court, challenge bans in Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut, and the group backing both legal challenges, the Second Amendment Foundation, believes the eventual ruling will have as big of an impact on gun law as the Supreme Court\u2019s 2008 decision in <em>District of Columbia v. Heller<\/em> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3054847\/supreme-court-gun-precedent-upheld-despite-thomas-dissent\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3054847\/supreme-court-gun-precedent-upheld-despite-thomas-dissent\/\">2022 decision<\/a> in <em>New York State Rifle &#038; Pistol Association v. Bruen<\/em>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4655258\/assault-weapons-bans-on-their-way-to-supreme-court\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018Assault weapons\u2019 bans are on their way to the Supreme Court<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4655691\/supreme-court-alaska-plane-siezed-beer\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court to review whether Alaska overstepped by seizing plane over six-pack of beer<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4649867\/supreme-court-colorado-catholic-preschool-case-implications\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court\u2019s Colorado Catholic preschool case could have implications for Jewish school security<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bill Sack, senior director of legal operations at the Second Amendment Foundation, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that the case\u2019s importance to Second Amendment rights will be \u201cmassive\u201d and \u201cpretty much as big as it gets.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the next \u2018great white whale\u2019 of the gun advocacy space, so it doesn\u2019t get much bigger,\u201d Sack said. \u201cWhat is at stake is whether the Second Amendment protects the most popular firearms in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-case-is-poised-to-be-a-major-precedent-for-gun-law-at-the-supreme-court\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Case is poised to be a major precedent for gun law at the Supreme Court<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The consolidated cases in <em>Viramontes v. Cook County<\/em> and <em>Grant v. Higgins<\/em> appear likely to be as significant as <em>Heller<\/em>, which solidified the right for private citizens to own firearms in their home for self defense, and <em>Bruen<\/em>, which stuck down broad restrictions on carrying handguns in public, partially due to the popularity of the guns at the center of the case and also due to the lack of comprehensive case law at the Supreme Court about the Second Amendment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can name on one hand, really, the number of major precedential, like, foundational Second Amendment cases,\u201d Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at the conservative Advancing American Freedom, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cYou can\u2019t do that with First Amendment issues or Fourth Amendment issues in the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the Supreme Court has issued multiple gun-related rulings over its two centuries, many of the most consequential cases protecting Second Amendment rights have come in the past two decades, beginning with the <em>Heller<\/em> decision. Swearer emphasized that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-will-decide-constitutionality-of-so-called-assault-weapons-bans\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Will Decide On So-Called &#039;Assault ...&#039; ...s\">assault weapons ban case<\/a> could be the first time the Supreme Court sets a line over what weapons are constitutionally protected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the first time that the Supreme Court is taking on any sort of case \u2014 outside of, you know, <em>Heller<\/em> and handguns inside the home \u2014 dealing with what types of weapons are protected,\u201d Swearer said. \u201cAnd this is really important because it has ramifications not just for the millions and millions of Americans who live in these handful of very restrictive states that have eliminated their right to possess these weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gun rights advocates have also highlighted how this case deals with the most popular class of rifle in the country, the AR-15, and how the sweeping bans Connecticut, Illinois, and nearly a dozen other states have implemented could essentially block common firearms.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s ubiquitous,\u201d Justin Davis, director of public affairs at the National Rifle Association, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cI mean, nearly so that the AR-15 is as common as F-150s in this country, and essentially banning that and banning semiautomatic platform firearms is essentially banning common technology in this current day and age.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn many respects, they are just kind of the quintessential normal rifle in the country. They are not a subdivision. They are not niche. They are not an exception to any rule. And you know, in many ways, they are just the rule. That is just what a modern rifle looks like,\u201d Sack said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-gun-rights-advocates-coming-into-supreme-court-arguments-with-momentum\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gun rights advocates coming into Supreme Court arguments with momentum<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past several months, gun rights advocates have scored key wins both in the Supreme Court and lower courts, adding to confidence going into the \u201cassault weapons\u201d case before the high court next term.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the last term, the justices <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4568152\/supreme-court-expands-guns-marijuana-hemani\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4568152\/supreme-court-expands-guns-marijuana-hemani\/\">struck down a federal law broadly barring<\/a> unlawful drug users from possessing firearms in <em>United States v. Hemani<\/em>, and they also struck down a sweeping Hawaii law <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4568117\/supreme-court-strikes-down-sweeping-hawaii-gun-law\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4568117\/supreme-court-strikes-down-sweeping-hawaii-gun-law\/\">aimed at severely limiting concealed carry<\/a> of firearms in public in <em>Wolford v. Lopez<\/em>. On the \u201cassault weapons\u201d bans, a Virginia court <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4625471\/judge-block-virginia-assault-weapon-ban\/\">halted the implementation<\/a> of the commonwealth\u2019s newly enacted ban, while the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4653620\/new-jersey-assault-weapon-ban-unconstitutional\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4653620\/new-jersey-assault-weapon-ban-unconstitutional\/\">struck down<\/a> New Jersey\u2019s ban as unconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn just these last few weeks, what we\u2019ve seen is in <em>Hemani<\/em> and <em>Wolford<\/em>, and now of course both in Virginia and New Jersey, we\u2019re seeing that landmark Supreme Court<em> <\/em>case being applied,\u201d Davis said, referring to the 2022 <em>Bruen<\/em> decision\u2019s framework being used to strike down assault weapons bans. \u201cThis [case] will serve as a clear indicator whether or not progressive politicians can ban America\u2019s most popular rifle, which is the AR-15.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling at the 3rd Circuit was the first instance of a federal appeals court striking down an \u201cassault weapons\u201d ban, creating a split between the different federal judicial circuits on the issue. The Supreme Court announced it would hear the consolidated \u201cassault weapons\u201d ban case prior to the 3rd Circuit\u2019s ruling. The justices\u2019 decision to take up the case when all of the appeals courts had at that point agreed on upholding assault weapons bans could be an early indication that they do not agree with the conclusion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sack said that while the 3rd Circuit ruling is a boost to their argument, the Supreme Court taking up the case prior to a circuit split had them already feeling positive momentum going into the arguments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think we felt that the momentum was in our favor even before this 3rd Circuit judgment,\u201d Sack said. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to now have a bona fide circuit split, and especially one going the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-gun-rights-advocates-are-optimistic-high-court-will-strike-down-bans\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gun rights advocates are optimistic high court will strike down bans<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The string of recent wins, alongside the Second Amendment-friendly nature of the current Supreme Court majority, have gun rights advocates optimistic that the high court will strike down the bans, adding to their landmark rulings protecting gun rights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe feel incredibly confident that it\u2019s going to reinforce those decisions that protect the Second Amendment. We have a very good court, of course, right now in the makeup that we have, and once we have that decision, I think that opens the door for all those other states that have needlessly banned law-abiding citizens from uncommonly owned firearms,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the current Supreme Court\u2019s case law on gun issues, it would likely take an uncharacteristic ruling for Connecticut and Cook County to prevail. Swearer said an adverse ruling for pro-Second Amendment advocates would require the high court to \u201cabandon any good faith application of its principles that it laid down in <em>Heller<\/em>, <em>McDonald v. City of Chicago<\/em>, and <em>Bruen<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf the court finds a way to uphold these laws as constitutional, we\u2019re back to where we were before <em>Heller<\/em>, where you might as well not even have a Second Amendment right,\u201d Swearer said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4649867\/supreme-court-colorado-catholic-preschool-case-implications\/\">SUPREME COURT\u2019S COLORADO CATHOLIC PRESCHOOL CASE COULD HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR JEWISH SCHOOL SECURITY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Supreme Court has yet to schedule the \u201cassault weapons\u201d ban case for argument but will likely hear it sometime between December 2026 and April 2027, based on the current briefing schedule for the case. A ruling in the case is expected by the end of June 2027, but Swearer warned that even if the high court does strike down the laws, it is unlikely to be the end of states\u2019 attempts to restrict popular firearms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t expect any of these states that have implemented these types of laws to just roll over and die on this issue, and I think what you will see afterward is some sort of extensive permitting process for these types of guns,\u201d Swearer said. \u201cI think this is an important first step on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court to Decide on Assault Weapons Bans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2632965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/assault-weapons-bans-scotus.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[38857,57243,50385,32275,35343],"class_list":["post-2632964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-assault-weapons","tag-firearm-legislation","tag-gun-control-2","tag-supreme-court","tag-u-s-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/assault-weapons-bans-scotus.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2632964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2632964"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2632964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2632968,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2632964\/revisions\/2632968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2632965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2632964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2632964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2632964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}