After years of lower court defiance and deliberate foot-dragging, the U.S. Supreme Court has finally stepped up. On the last day of its 2025/2026 session, SCOTUS granted certiorari in two critical challenges to so-called “assault weapons” bans, consolidating Viramontes v. Cook County (Illinois) from the Seventh Circuit and Grant v. Higgins (Connecticut) from the Second Circuit.
This is the showdown gun owners have been waiting for since Bruen in 2022. The Court will now decide whether politicians can ban America’s most popular rifle—the AR-15—and other commonly owned semi-automatic firearms that anti-gun zealots dishonestly label “weapons of war.” These are the same arms millions of law-abiding Americans own for self-defense, sporting purposes, and constitutional resistance to tyranny.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh signaled this was coming. Last year, when the Court denied cert in other cases, he wrote pointedly that the issue could not wait: the AR-15 is the most popular rifle in America, owned by tens of millions, and lower courts were openly distorting Bruen and Heller. Further “percolation” was pointless while anti-gun states kept passing bans. Since then, five more states joined the frenzy, bringing the total to 12 states plus D.C. It’s long past time for the High Court to smack down this unconstitutional nonsense once and for all.
The Second Amendment Foundation, which brought both cases, cheered the news. SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut emphasized that these modern semi-automatic rifles are in common use for lawful purposes—potentially outnumbering Ford F-150 trucks on the road. SAF founder Alan Gottlieb blasted the fearmongering lawmakers use to justify infringing on rights, noting these firearms are functionally no different from other semi-autos millions of Americans rely on every day.
Magazine ban cases remain pending, but the Court appears focused on this core “assault weapons” fight for next term. Arguments are expected in the fall, with a decision likely in 2027.
This grant of cert is a massive victory for the Second Amendment and a direct rebuke to gun-grabbing politicians in Illinois, Connecticut, and beyond. The days of letting activist judges and cowardly legislators erode core constitutional protections may finally be numbered. The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reaffirm that the Second Amendment protects the arms Americans actually choose to keep and bear—not just the ones politicians deem acceptable.
Young adults rejoice as well in the Third Circuit.
SAF has more on their win for 18-20 year olds. From an email:
BELLEVUE, Wash. — June 30, 2026 — The U.S. Supreme Court handed the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) a victory today by declining to hear a case brought by the organization to vindicate the firearm carry rights of young adults in Pennsylvania. By refusing to take the case, SAF’s victory in Third Circuit Court of Appeals is now final.
The Third Circuit twice ruled in SAF’s favor, finding that adults under 21 are indeed members of “the People” as contemplated by the Second Amendment, and therefore enjoy the same scope of rights as all other adults. The ruling struck down a portion of Pennsylvania’s carry regime which prevented young adults from being able to carry firearms during declared states of emergency.