SCOTUS Grants Cert on Two “Assault Weapon” Ban Cases
This morning the Supreme Court took a significant step. It merged two major “assault weapon” ban cases and granted certiorari. The battle over these bans is finally headed to the highest court.
A Major Second Amendment Showdown Is Coming
This morning the Supreme Court consolidated two important “assault weapon” ban cases, Viramontes v. Cook County (Illinois, 7th Circuit) and Grant v. Higgins (Connecticut, 2nd Circuit), into a single case and granted certiorari. They will hear arguments during the next term.
This is a big development.
Both the 7th and 2nd Circuits had upheld state-level bans on commonly owned semi-automatic rifles. By taking the cases, the Supreme Court is signaling it is ready to address whether these bans are constitutional under the Bruen framework. Granting certiorari requires at least four justices. Those four were almost certainly Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh.
Justices Barrett and Roberts have consistently sided with strong Second Amendment protections in every major gun case they have heard. That strongly suggests a 6-3 decision striking down these bans nationwide is the most likely outcome.
Why This Matters
“Assault weapon” bans have been among the most aggressive gun control measures passed in blue states since Sandy Hook. They target some of the most popular rifles in America. These rifles are functionally identical to millions of other semi-automatic firearms that remain legal, with a few surface differences.
By taking these cases, the Supreme Court appears ready to bring clarity and uniformity to this area of law. If the Court rules as expected, it will likely hold that commonly owned semi-automatic rifles are protected by the Second Amendment and that states cannot ban them simply by labeling them “assault weapons.”
This would be a major victory for the Second Amendment and a significant rebuke to the post-2012 wave of gun control legislation.
The gun control crowd has long treated “assault weapons” as low-hanging fruit. They are about to find out that the Supreme Court takes the Constitution more seriously than political narratives.
I’ll be watching this one closely. And I will certainly have more to say between now and the Court’s hearing. A decision is expected sometime in 2027.
Further Reading
Supreme Court Order List (June 30, 2026) — Viramontes v. Cook County & Grant v. Higgins consolidated and cert granted
District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) — The foundational modern Second Amendment case.
New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022) — The landmark decision establishing the proper test for evaluating gun laws.
In Defense of the Second Amendment by Larry Correia — A clear, no-nonsense defense of the right to keep and bear arms from a firearms instructor and author who actually understands the practical realities.
The Second Amendment: A Biography by Michael Waldman — A more moderate/center-left perspective on the history and interpretation of the Second Amendment (worth reading to understand the other side of the debate).
#America #2A #SecondAmendment #SCOTUS
About time!!! Nice collection there. I "only" have 2. CT went crazy after Sandy Hook, even though none of their newly enacted laws would have stopped anything that happened. And their compliance rate for "registration" of grandfathered AR's is stated to be at about 13.4%. Making everyone else an automatic felon.