The Supreme Court will hear arguments on the constitutionality of so-called assault weapons bans next term. For now, we’re stuck with this disappointing ruling from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld Illinois' ban on AR-15 rifles in a 2-1 decision. The panel highlighted our nation’s historical precedent of restricting dangerous weapons, such as Bowie knives.
The majority said the ban survives the Supreme Court's Bruen test because America has a historical tradition of restricting particularly dangerous weapons, likening AR-15s and 30-round magazines to weapons historically subject to special regulation, such as Bowie knives.
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) July 9, 2026
Read the ruling here: https://t.co/5wAJXi7sWZ
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) July 9, 2026
Not the best ruling for sure, but it offers a glimpse of what the anti-gun Left will argue before the Supreme Court. The AR-15 rifle isn’t a rare firearm; it's commonly owned by civilians. These aren’t bazookas, and Bowie knives? Are we serious here? It'll be picked apart.
SCOTUS is going to have a field day with these very soon…
— Oliver Cushing | Attorney ⚖️ (@OliverBCushing) July 9, 2026
Judge Brennan's reasoning is exactly how I imagine SCOTUS will decide it's AR-15 cases next term, based off Kavanaugh's dissent from Snope. Also, the bowie knife analogy is, to quote @MorosKostas, plain "dumb" when used in this kind of case. pic.twitter.com/gKPGD8Ytd0
— Ethan Savka (@eesavka) July 9, 2026
Give it time, folks. The Supreme Court will soon deliver the final answer about owning that ubiquitous, lightweight, reliable, and easy-to-shoot rifle.