The Supreme Court just gave the Second Amendment the cold shoulder—again. On Monday, the highest court in the land decided not to hear a challenge to Maryland’s ban on so-called “assault weapons,” which includes the AR-15 and other semiautomatic rifles. That’s right, they took a hard pass on standing up for gun rights, leaving conservatives across the country shaking their heads and wondering what the heck is going on.
Let’s break it down: Maryland passed this ban in the emotional aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook tragedy, banning the sale, possession, and transfer of what they call “assault long guns” and “copycat weapons.” It includes a list of 45 specific guns that the state has apparently deemed too scary for law-abiding citizens to own. The logic? These rifles look like military weapons, therefore they must be dangerous. Brilliant.
https://twitter.com/GunOwners/status/1929545608496660858
Fast forward to now. After a group of Maryland residents, a licensed gun dealer, and some gun rights groups challenged the ban, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit decided that AR-15s just aren’t protected by the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court, in its infinite wisdom, chose not to take the case—meaning that decision stands. No hearing. No debate. Just silence.
And don’t think this was unanimous. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch weren’t having it. In fact, Thomas didn’t hold back. He warned that the longer SCOTUS waits to tackle this issue, the more courts will keep “distorting” Second Amendment precedent, turning our constitutional right to bear arms into what he called a “second-class right.” And he’s dead right. Imagine if courts played this kind of fast and loose with the First Amendment—we’d never hear the end of it.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh also threw his weight behind hearing the case, calling the lower court’s ruling “questionable.” He pointed out the obvious: AR-15s are in “common use” by millions of Americans. That’s not even up for debate. If common use doesn’t qualify something for Second Amendment protection, what does?
This isn’t just about Maryland either. The Court also declined to hear a case challenging Rhode Island’s ban on “large-capacity magazines.” Apparently, owning a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds is now a dangerous act in the minds of progressive lawmakers.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about public safety. It’s about control. It’s about politicians and judges deciding that the Constitution only applies when it’s convenient for their agenda. We were promised in 2022, after the Bruen decision, that there’d be a new framework: if a gun law didn’t match the historical tradition of regulation in America, it wouldn’t stand. But now lower courts are twisting that rule like a pretzel, and SCOTUS is letting them get away with it.
Gun rights aren’t optional. They’re constitutional. And it’s past time the Supreme Court treated them that way.
Leave a Comment