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The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear two high-profile challenges to state gun-control laws—one in Maryland banning semiautomatic rifles such as the AR-15, and another in Rhode Island prohibiting magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Both denials came in a June 2 orders list that did not provide an explanation for the denials. However, three justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch—dissented, indicating that they would have taken up the cases.
In the Maryland case, sometimes referred to as an “assault weapons” ban, Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred with the majority in its decision to deny review, but said the Supreme Court “should and presumably will” address the constitutionality of AR-15 bans within the next term or two.
The Maryland case, known as Snope v. Brown, involved a 2013 law enacted in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre, which bars the sale and possession of 45 named semiautomatic rifles and similar “copycat” weapons. The challengers of the ban argued in court filings that rifles such as the AR-15 are among the most popular firearms in the country, lawfully owned by millions for self-defense and sporting purposes, and therefore are protected under the Second Amendment.
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