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Supreme Court Declines to Review State Bans on Semi-Automatic Rifles and High-Capacity Magazines

The decision preserves Maryland’s post–Sandy Hook rifle restrictions and Rhode Island’s 10-round magazine limit with three conservative justices urging future review.

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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A man looks at an AR-15 rife at an exhibition booth during the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., May 18, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

Overview

  • By turning away the appeal, the justices kept in force Maryland’s ban on AR- and AK-style semi-automatic rifles enacted after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting.
  • They also declined review of Rhode Island’s 2022 magazine limit, upholding its requirement to modify, sell or surrender devices that hold more than 10 rounds.
  • The 4th and 1st U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals had upheld the bans under standards labeling the weapons ‘dangerous and unusual’ and the magazines ‘highly effective weapons of mass slaughter.’
  • Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented, signaling interest in future challenges to similar gun control laws.
  • The refusals follow the court’s 2022 Bruen ruling, which demands that modern firearm regulations align with the nation’s historical tradition of gun control.