In a rare turn of events, the conservative leaning U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the advances of gun lobbyists.
On May 17, the highest court in the land declined to temporarily overturn an assault weapons ban in Illinois. The state banned the sale of assault-style rifles, including AR-15s that are used in most of the mass shootings in America, back in January. The ban came in the aftermath of the Fourth of July parade shooting last year in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. The shooter in that crime used an AR-15 rifle, killed seven people and injuring others.
The law also bars the sale of magazines holding over a certain number of rounds for certain style guns – 15 rounds for handguns and 10 rounds for long guns. People who already own such weapons are grandfathered into old rules and can continue to own them, but those guns must be registered.
While SCOTUS Justices declined the emergency appeal, it was not outright dismissed, which means it could be ruled on as a formal case in the future. Also, the case is still being adjudicated in Illinois, which means the ban could still be overturned at some point.
