Justice
The Supreme Court Just Left the Door Open for Local Bans on Assault Weapons
The decision regarding a Chicago suburb suggests “that the justices are not eager to strike these laws down,” says one legal expert.
The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to review a lower court decision upholding a 2013 assault weapon ban enacted in Chicago’s Highland Park suburb. The decision comes in the wake of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, the latest of many in which assault weapons were used.
The Highland Park ordinance followed the passage of a controversial Illinois state law that allowed gun owners to legally carry concealed weapons. It forbade the suburb’s residents from possessing assault weapons with large capacity magazines, such as AK-47s or AR-15s. Violators of the ordinance would face up to six months in jail and $1,000 in fines.