WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court declined on Monday to listen to a problem to a state ban on assault weapons, semiautomatic rifles which are in style amongst gun house owners and have additionally been utilized in a number of mass shootings.
The justices turned down a case towards a Maryland legislation handed after the 2012 taking pictures at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that killed 20 youngsters and 6 adults. The shooter was armed with an AR-15, one of many firearms generally known as an assault weapon.
Three conservative justices, nonetheless, publicly famous that they might have taken the case, and a fourth mentioned he’s skeptical that such bans are constitutional, indicating the court docket may quickly take one other take a look at the difficulty.
A number of states have related measures, and Congressional Democrats have additionally supported the idea. The challengers had argued that folks have a constitutional proper to personal the firearms just like the AR-15.
The case comes two years after the excessive court docket handed down a landmark ruling that expanded Second Amendment rights and spawned challenges to firearm laws across the nation.
Ten states and the District of Columbia have related legal guidelines, overlaying main cities like New York and Los Angeles. Congress allowed a nationwide assault weapons ban to run out in 2004.
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