Is The Supreme Court About To Strike Down Semi-Auto Bans?

A top civil rights group is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a Connecticut gun ban, and possibly strike down gun bans nationwide.

The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) reports its legal team “has filed an appeal to the United States Supreme Court challenging Connecticut’s ban on so-called ‘assault weapons’ and standard-capacity magazines.”

“The appeal follows a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which upheld the Connecticut ban and, in doing so, openly defied existing Supreme Court precedent established in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022),” NAGR notes.

“If the Supreme Court grants review, the case could become the defining battle over the legality of so-called ‘assault weapons’ bans nationwide, with sweeping consequences for the future of gun rights in America,” NAGR adds.

“The Second Circuit’s decision is one of the most brazen acts of defiance toward Supreme Court precedent we’ve seen yet,” said Dudley Brown, President of the National Association for Gun Rights. “If left standing, it would effectively render Heller and Bruen meaningless and give rogue judges the power to gut the Second Amendment.”

NAGR notes its case, National Association for Gun Rights v. Lamont, “is widely considered a key test for whether the Supreme Court will finally address the constitutionality of bans on AR-15s and similar firearms. Justice Brett Kavanaugh recently remarked that the Court should and likely will ‘address the AR-15 issue soon, in the next term or two.’”

“In its ruling, the Second Circuit conceded that AR-15-style rifles are in ‘common use,’ but nevertheless argued that governments may still ban them. That position directly contradicts the Court’s holding in Bruen, where the ‘common use’ standard was highlighted as central to evaluating restrictions on arms,” NAGR reports.

“This case isn’t just about Connecticut,” Brown said. “The Second Circuit effectively invited other jurisdictions to ignore Supreme Court precedent, daring the Justices to step in. It’s time for the Court to slam the door on lower-court defiance and reaffirm that the Second Amendment means what it says.”

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.