Supreme Court to Hear AR-15 Ban Case as 2 Rulings Extend Second Amendment to Knives, Armor
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 24
Supreme Court to Hear AR-15 Ban Case as 2 Rulings Extend Second Amendment to Knives, Armor
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 24
Summary
Viramontes v. Cook County will put before the Supreme Court whether AR-15-style rifles count as protected “arms” under the Second Amendment, a question central to challenges against assault-weapons bans.
Two rulings issued Wednesday strengthened gun-rights advocates’ case: the Fifth Circuit said switchblades are protected arms, and a New York federal judge struck down the state’s civilian body-armor restrictions.
Both courts applied the Bruen framework, first finding the items covered by the amendment’s text and then faulting the government for failing to show a comparable historical tradition supporting the modern limits.
That reasoning cuts against the Seventh Circuit decision under review, which upheld Cook County’s ban by treating AR-15-style rifles as comparable to machine guns and outside Heller’s protection.
Gun-rights groups say a ruling against AR-15 bans could ripple into future fights over magazines, suppressors, stun guns, pepper spray and other self-defense equipment.