SUPREME COURT AGREES TO DECIDE IF MODERN SPORTING RIFLES ARE PROTECTED BY THE SECOND AMENDMENT

June 30, 2026 – Today, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in two consolidated Second Amendment cases challenging laws that prohibit the possession of AR-15 platform rifles and similar semiautomatic firearms: Grant v. Higgins, challenging Connecticut’s “assault weapon” restrictions, and Viramontes v. Cook County, challenging Cook County, Illinois’s ban on so-called “assault weapons.” The Supreme Court granted review on the question of whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee the right to possess semiautomatic rifles in common use.

These cases present one of the most significant Second Amendment issues currently pending before the Supreme Court. The central issue is whether commonly owned semiautomatic rifles are protected “arms” under the Second Amendment, and if so, whether state and local governments may prohibit their possession based on a history of regulating unusually dangerous weapons. The lower courts upheld the challenged restrictions, concluding that the laws were consistent with the Second Amendment under the historical-tradition framework articulated in N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen.

The cases are expected to be argued during the October 2026 Term, with a decision by the end of June 2027. A decision recognizing constitutional protection for these types of semiautomatic rifles would have wide-ranging impacts in all states and local jurisdictions that currently prohibit or restrict their sale and possession.

Renzulli Law Firm will continue to monitor Second Amendment related  litigation, and potential impacts.  If you have any questions about laws  regulating firearms and ammunition, please contact Christopher  Renzulli.