The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will decide whether cities and states may ban people from owning AR-15 rifles and similar semi-automatic weapons, taking up a major Second Amendment dispute that it had previously declined to address.
One of the appeals involving certain semi-automatic rifles came from two Illinois residents who want to purchase AR-15 style rifles but are blocked from doing so by an ordinance in Cook County that makes it unlawful to sell or possess any “assault weapon or large capacity magazine,” specifically listing dozens of models that were off limits.
Ten states have similar bans in place, according to the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Another case came from several Connecticut residents who wish to purchase weapons covered under that state’s ban.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly declined to take up the issue but there have been signs in recent years that the court was prepared to reconsider that approach.
