The United States Supreme Court may hear a case against gun laws in New York and Connecticut that ban the usage of semiautomatic weapons, similar to the assault rifle used in countless mass shootings in the country.
The Supreme Court has not weighed in on gun laws since 2010.
Gun rights groups and firearms owners are challenging the two states’ laws with the assertion that the law is against the Second Amendment that guarantees the right to bear arms. An announcement from the Supreme Court will be heard as early as Monday, according to sources close to the matter.
If the Supreme Court elects to hear the challenge, the arguments will be heard during the next term in October. In the event that the court does not elect to hear the challenge, lower court rulings will remain.
The court did not elect to hear a similar challenge in Highland Park, Illinois that challenged the city’s ban on assault weapons. The city also doesn’t allow large-magazine capacities.
The challenge in Connecticut reaffirms that the assault weapons are used in self-defense, hunting and recreational shooting. The guns include the AR-15, which was the assault rifle used in Orlando, Florida to kill 49 people and injure more than 50 others.
