The United States Supreme Court chose not to take up a challenge to Illinois’ “assault weapons” ban that prohibits certain firearms by a vote of 7-2 on Monday.
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The United States Supreme Court chose not to take up a challenge to Illinois’ “assault weapons” ban that prohibits certain firearms by a vote of 7-2 on Monday.
In Friedman v. Highland Park, the high court declined to rule on the case in their upcoming term. The only dissenters were Justice Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Writing on behalf of the two of them, Thomas noted:
“The overwhelming majority of citizens who own and use such rifles do so for lawful purposes, including self-defense and target shooting.”
Also in the dissent, Thomas noted that Highland Park will continue to be able to ban various types of semiautomatic firearms and even imprison individuals who do not “move these items outside city limits, disable them, or surrender them for destruction.”
Adding that the Seventh Circuit’s decision to allow the ban relegates the right to own firearms “to a second-class right,” Thomas ended his opinion with:
“The Court’s refusal to review a decision that flouts two of our Second Amendment precedents stands in marked contrast to the Court’s willingness to summarily reverse courts that disregard our other constitutional decisions.”
As a result, Highland Park, Ill. a suburb of Chicago, will be able to maintain its ban on firearm sales, possession, and manufacturing.
The decision by the Supreme Court to deny hearing such a case will in effect allow other municipalities, counties, and states to continue banning “assault weapons,” which can have a varying definition depending on where it is enacted.
