27 States Urge Supreme Court Review of Washington Gun Magazine Ban

A coalition of 26 to 27 mostly Republican-led states, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, has filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review and overturn Washington State’s 2022 ban on firearm magazines holding more than 10 rounds. The Washington Supreme Court upheld the ban in a 7-2 decision, ruling that magazines are not "arms" but accessories; however, the coalition argues this interpretation misapplies the Second Amendment and Supreme Court precedents. They emphasize that plus-ten magazines are commonly used for self-defense and widely owned, with as many as 542 million in circulation, and that the ban infringes on constitutional rights. The National Rifle Association and other gun rights groups have also submitted separate amicus briefs, framing the case as an opportunity for the Supreme Court to clarify whether magazines qualify as "arms" under the Second Amendment and to address historical versus textual analysis in Second Amendment cases. This case, Gator’s Custom Guns, Inc. v. State of Washington, has the potential to reshape national gun laws by challenging restrictions on magazine capacity, sparking significant legal and political debate across the country.