The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a case on whether citizens are guaranteed the right to possess semiautomatic weapons, including the popular AR-15.
The high court declined to hear arguments in Viramontes v. Cook County, a case based in Illinois where the Cook County legislators placed a ban on assault-style weapons.
Lawyers for Cook County said the government has a responsibility to protect citizens from the dangers of assault weapons.
“Assault rifles are the weapon of choice for criminals and terrorists set on quickly massacring innocents, but are rarely put to lawful public use,” lawyers for Cook County wrote in a brief to the court.
Lawyers for Cutberto Viramontes, a Cook County resident, argued the government relies on unclear evidence to justify its assault weapons ban.
“These are ordinary rifles, not phasers from Star Trek, and while their muzzle velocity is generally somewhat higher than other rifles, the bullets they shoot are smaller, leading to an overall kinetic energy significantly lower than most hunting rifles,” lawyers for Viramontes wrote in a brief to the court.
The Supreme Court’s decision to decline hearing this case comes after several high-profile Second Amendment decisions. The court has already agreed to hear a case out of Hawaii that regulates where individuals can carry guns.
Additionally, the high court decided to hear a case on whether an individual who is “an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance.” These cases will likely provide new clarity to the high court’s stance on Second Amendment rights.
