Gun control groups petition Supreme Court to overturn Heller ruling

Two gun control organizations, Americans Against Gun Violence and the American Enlightenment Project, have submitted briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court requesting the reversal of the landmark 2008 Heller v. District of Columbia decision. The groups argue that the Heller ruling and its subsequent interpretations are incompatible with the Second Amendment and have led to significant public health consequences.

The petition comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments regarding the constitutionality of bans on modern semiautomatic firearms in Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut. In a brief filed by the group Citizen Response to Increased Muzzle Energy (CRIME), advocates utilized a metric termed Muzzle Energy per Minute (MEpM) to argue that semiautomatic rifles possess disproportionate lethality compared to other firearms.

Legal arguments in the cases involve challenges to local statutes prohibiting so-called assault weapons. While gun control advocates seek to uphold these bans, the Supreme Court's upcoming review will determine whether such restrictions on semiautomatic firearms violate constitutional protections.