Supreme Court Upholds Maryland, Rhode Island Gun Bans

The U.S. Supreme Court on June 2 declined to hear challenges to Maryland's ban on assault-style weapons and Rhode Island's ban on high-capacity magazines, effectively leaving these gun control laws in place. The conservative-majority court avoided ruling on whether these restrictions meet the Second Amendment standard established in its 2022 decision, which requires gun regulations to be grounded in historical tradition, a test that lower courts have found difficult to apply. Maryland's ban, enacted after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, prohibits numerous semiautomatic rifles including variants of the AR-15, while Rhode Island restricts magazines holding more than ten rounds. Appeals courts, including the 4th Circuit, have upheld these laws, reasoning that such weapons fall outside the scope of Second Amendment protections. Although three conservative justices favored taking up the case, the court lacked the four votes necessary to review it, signaling that the issue may return to the Supreme Court in the near future. Meanwhile, gun rights advocates continue to challenge these laws, arguing that popular firearms like the AR-15 should be protected under the Constitution.