The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear cases challenging state bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, upholding lower court rulings in Maryland and Rhode Island. The court’s decision means that the bans on AR-15-style rifles and high-capacity magazines will remain in place, as the lower courts had previously ruled in favor of the state regulations. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals had already determined that such bans are constitutional under the Second Amendment, arguing that granting AR-15s constitutional protection based on their common use would allow any dangerous weapon to claim such protection if it becomes popular. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch disagreed with the majority’s decision, with Thomas emphasizing the importance of the issue for millions of gun owners. The decision comes amid a broader trend of the Supreme Court deferring to lower courts on gun control matters, despite ongoing debates about the balance between public safety and Second Amendment rights.
While the court declined to take up the issue in this case, Justice Brett Kavanaugh stated that,