On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld a longstanding gun restriction in Washington, D.C., which bans magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. This decision reflects the court’s reluctance to engage with new gun rights cases, despite having a conservative majority that generally supports such rights. Just before this ruling, the court also rejected an appeal related to a similar law in Rhode Island and maintained Maryland’s ban on assault-style weapons, including AR-15 rifles.
The court’s previous landmark 2022 ruling had expanded gun rights by affirming that the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms extends beyond the home. However, since then, it has frustrated gun owners by declining to consider cases that might further expand these rights. D.C. has historically been a focal point for gun regulation debates, stemming from a 2008 Supreme Court decision affirming individuals’ rights to bear arms for self-defense within their homes.
The current case involved a challenge by four gun owners who argued that the large-capacity magazine ban, instituted post-2008 ruling, violates the principles established by the 2022 decision. Both a federal judge and a U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the restriction, with the appeals court noting that while large-capacity magazines are recognized as arms under the Second Amendment, they can be regulated due to their potential danger.
In addition to the gun laws, the Supreme Court opted not to hear an important election-related case concerning mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, leaving a state Supreme Court ruling intact that allows voters with defective mail-in ballots to cast provision in-person ballots. This decision occurred amid ongoing political tensions between the Republican and Democratic parties over electoral processes.
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