Will gun owners finally get the Supreme Court ruling they’ve been waiting on for decades? For the first time since Heller and McDonald, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up direct challenges to assault‑weapon bans, a moment gun owners have been demanding while politicians and lower courts played constitutional keep‑away.
The Court granted certiorari in two major cases:
- Viramontes v. Cook County (Illinois)
- Grant v. Higgins (Connecticut)
Both laws ban AR‑15–style semiautomatic rifles, the most popular rifle platform in America. And while these cases don’t directly challenge standalone magazine bans, both states define “assault weapons” partly by the ability to accept so‑called “large‑capacity magazines.” In other words, magazines are absolutely part of the fight.
Gun owners have spent years watching lower courts twist the Second Amendment into pretzels to uphold these bans. Now the Supreme Court has finally stepped in, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
With the Court delivering a steady stream of 6–3 constitutional smackdowns in recent terms, the big question is obvious: Will the Justices strike down AR‑15 bans and the magazine‑related restrictions tied to them? Gun owners certainly hope so, because these bans are blatant violations of the Second Amendment and rely on the tired, dishonest claim that civilian‑owned semiautomatic rifles are “military weapons.”
Gun‑control advocates keep repeating that talking point, insisting that banning America’s most common rifle is “public safety.” But the Supreme Court is now poised to decide whether states can continue treating millions of law‑abiding citizens like criminals for owning the very firearms protected by the Constitution.
Oral arguments won’t happen until the Court’s next term, which begins in October 2026. Expect arguments to be scheduled before the end of the year.
And the opinion? Gun owners should expect the ruling next summer, June 2027, when the Court traditionally drops its biggest decisions. If the Court delivers a strong pro‑2A ruling, it will be the most consequential Second Amendment victory in years.
