Supreme Court Declines To Hear Challenge To Maryland Ban On Rifles Known As Assault Weapons

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has declined, for now, to hear a challenge to a Maryland law banning certain semi-automatic firearms commonly referred to as assault weapons. The court did not elaborate on the denial, as is typical. It would have been unusual for the justices to take up a case at this point, since a lower court is still weighing it. The Supreme Court is also considering an appeal over a similar law in Illinois that it did not act on Monday. The Maryland plaintiffs, including gun rights groups, argued that semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 are among the most popular firearms in the country and banning them runs afoul of the Second Amendment, especially after a landmark Supreme Court decision expanding gun rights in 2022.