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Story perspectives

Supreme Court to Review AR-15 Bans in Connecticut, Cook County

6/30/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Analysts view the U.S. Supreme Court’s fall hearing of challenges to Connecticut and Cook County bans as a Second Amendment ruling since the 2022 Bruen decision.
The bans, Cook County’s ban on AR-15-style rifles with a $5,000 fine and Connecticut’s ban restricting rifles if not owned before 2013, have been upheld by courts.
Challengers, Firearms Policy Coalition, argue the rifles are in common use and protected by Second Amendment.

History

Historical Context

After the Supreme Court’s 5-4 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller—authored by Justice Antonin Scalia and striking the D.C. handgun ban—McDonald v. Chicago (2010) extended the right to the states. In October 2023 the Court heard challenges to Connecticut’s post-2013 rifle limits and Cook County’s AR-15 ban, testing Heller’s scope for modern firearms regulation.

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Story summary

Analysts view the U.S. Supreme Court’s fall hearing of challenges to Connecticut and Cook County bans as a Second Amendment ruling since the 2022 Bruen decision.
The bans, Cook County’s ban on AR-15-style rifles with a $5,000 fine and Connecticut’s ban restricting rifles if not owned before 2013, have been upheld by courts.
Challengers, Firearms Policy Coalition, argue the rifles are in common use and protected by Second Amendment.

1 / 2