On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear two cases asking whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right to possess AR-15-platform and similar semiautomatic rifles. The cases, Viramontes v. Cook County (No. 25-238) and Grant v. Higgins (No. 25-566), are consolidated, with one hour of oral argument set for Wednesday, December 2, 2026. It is the first time the Court has taken the AR-15 question directly, and a decision is expected by June 2027.
The cases at a glance
- Viramontes challenges Cook County, Illinois’ ban on semiautomatic rifles. Cook County includes Chicago.
- Grant challenges Connecticut’s statewide restrictions on the same class of rifles.
- Two federal appeals courts upheld these laws, treating AR-15-style rifles as similar to military weapons that governments have historically been allowed to restrict.
- The challengers filed their main brief on August 28, 2026. On September 4, the Solicitor General of the United States, D. John Sauer, filed a brief supporting them, arguing that AR-15 rifles are constitutionally protected arms in common use.
- The states’ main briefs are due October 21.
The test the Court will apply
The Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller said firearms in common use for lawful purposes are protected by the Second Amendment. The 2022 decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen added the test: if the plain text of the amendment covers the arm, the government must show the restriction matches the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.
The challengers’ argument is numerical. An estimated 20 to 40 million AR-15-style rifles are in private hands, making them among the most commonly owned long guns in America. Under Heller and Bruen, they argue, a commonly owned arm cannot be banned.
The states’ argument is that these rifles are “dangerous and unusual” weapons of the kind Heller said could still be restricted, and that history supports regulating weapons with an unusual capacity for harm.
One note for readers of Monday’s post: this is a different fight from the Maryland and Connecticut cases over Glock-style pistols. Those cases concern handguns; these concern semiautomatic rifles. The same constitutional test applies to both, but the weapons and the cases are separate.
Why Maryland gun owners should watch
A decision by June 2027 would shape the legal future of rifle bans in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. Related cases are already waiting on it. New Jersey asked the Court on October 1 to hold its rifle and magazine case until Viramontes is decided, and petitions challenging magazine limits in California, Washington, and Connecticut were held over from the Court’s September 28 conference.
Two cautions. First, a ruling for the challengers would not change Maryland law overnight; lower courts would still have to apply the decision to Maryland’s restrictions in pending cases. Second, the Court could rule narrowly on the Cook County and Connecticut laws, or send the cases back with guidance, rather than settling everything at once.
FAQ
When will we know the outcome? Oral argument is December 2, 2026. A decision is expected by the end of the Court’s term, June 2027.
Does this change what I can buy in Maryland right now? No. Nothing changes until the Court rules and that ruling is applied to Maryland law. Follow current Maryland law.
Did the Court signal it wanted this case? In a June 2025 statement, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that the Court should and presumably will address the AR-15 issue soon, in the next term or two. A year later, it did.
Sources: Gun Talk Media’s 2026-27 Supreme Court docket preview; case background.
This post was drafted by Matia, A1 Firearms Training’s AI news assistant.