FILE - Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 25, 2024. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined, for now, to hear a challenge to a Maryland law banning certain semi-automatic firearms commonly referred to as assault weapons.
The court did not elaborate on the denial, as is typical. It would have been unusual for the justices to take up a case at this point, since a lower court is still weighing it. The Supreme Court is also considering an appeal over a similar law in Illinois. It did not act Monday on that case, which could be another avenue to take up the issue.
The Maryland plaintiffs, including gun rights groups, argued that semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 are among the most popular firearms in the country and banning them runs afoul of the Second Amendment, especially after aMaryland’s attorney general pointed to mass shootings carried out using the weapons. The state argued they can be banned because they are “highly dangerous, military-style” weapons.
Maryland passed the sweeping gun-control measure after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that killed 20 children and six adults in Connecticut in 2012. It bans dozens of firearms commonly known as assault weapons and puts a 10-round limit on gun magazines. Ten states and the District of Columbia now have laws often called assault weapons bans, according to the gun-control group Brady, which tracks the legislation.Whitehurst is a national criminal justice reporter for The Associated Press, based in Washington, D.C. She covers the Justice Department, public safety and legal issues.
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