U.S. Supreme Court to weigh assault‑weapons bans in Connecticut and Illinois

The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear appeals challenging state and local bans on semiautomatic rifles, commonly called assault weapons. The cases involve Connecticut’s post‑Sandy Hook restrictions and Cook County, Illinois’s ban on AR‑15‑style firearms. The plaintiffs argue the bans violate the Second Amendment, while the jurisdictions contend the weapons are unusually dangerous and pose a public‑safety threat.

The Court’s 6‑3 conservative majority is expected to hear arguments in the fall, continuing a recent trend of expanding gun‑rights jurisprudence. Lower courts have upheld both bans, but the Supreme Court’s review could affect similar laws in about a dozen other states and major cities. The outcome may reshape the legal landscape for assault‑weapon regulations nationwide.