Supreme Court Declines to Review Maryland’s Assault Weapons Ban

On Monday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, alongside Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, joined three liberal justices in deciding not to review Maryland’s ban on “assault weapons.” This means that Maryland’s legislation, along with similar bans in eight other states—including Washington, California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Delaware—remains in effect.

Reports from Breitbart News indicate that Justices Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas were aware of the case but opted not to consider the challenge. The Associated Press noted that Gorsuch, Alito, and Thomas highlighted their differences during discussions about rejecting the majority of cases presented.

Additionally, the Western Journal pointed out that Justice Thomas chose not to hear the challenge, suggesting he might be open to even stricter federal regulations in the future. He emphasized, “We don’t wait for the government to decide whether it can ban America’s most popular rifles. We’ve avoided a decade-long decision.”

Kavanaugh, while siding with the majority, issued a statement reflecting on the case. He mentioned that the issue revolves around Maryland’s ban on AR-15s, noting that there are an estimated 20-30 million of these rifles owned by Americans, with legality in 41 states.

He further argued that since millions of Americans possess AR-15s and most states permit ownership, there is a strong case to be made that the rifles fall under “general use” for law-abiding citizens, thus receiving protection under the Second Amendment, as established in the Heller decision.

Nonetheless, the Supreme Court’s choice not to take on Maryland’s challenge signifies that the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2024 ruling to uphold the ban will stand.