FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 3, 2025
GREENVILLE, SC – The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) announced today that its legal team has filed an appeal to the United States Supreme Court challenging Connecticut’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and standard-capacity magazines.
The appeal follows a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which upheld the Connecticut ban and, in doing so, openly defied existing Supreme Court precedent established in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022).
“The Second Circuit’s decision is one of the most brazen acts of defiance toward Supreme Court precedent we’ve seen yet,” said Dudley Brown, President of the National Association for Gun Rights. “If left standing, it would effectively render Heller and Bruen meaningless and give rogue judges the power to gut the Second Amendment.”
NAGR’s case, National Association for Gun Rights v. Lamont, is widely considered a key test for whether the Supreme Court will finally address the constitutionality of bans on AR-15s and similar firearms. Justice Brett Kavanaugh recently remarked that the Court should and likely will “address the AR-15 issue soon, in the next term or two.”
In its ruling, the Second Circuit conceded that AR-15-style rifles are in “common use,” but nevertheless argued that governments may still ban them. That position directly contradicts the Court’s holding in Bruen, where the “common use” standard was highlighted as central to evaluating restrictions on arms.
“This case isn’t just about Connecticut,” Brown added. “The Second Circuit effectively invited other jurisdictions to ignore Supreme Court precedent, daring the Justices to step in. It’s time for the Court to slam the door on lower-court defiance and reaffirm that the Second Amendment means what it says.”
If the Supreme Court grants review, the case could become the defining battle over the legality of so-called “assault weapons” bans nationwide, with sweeping consequences for the future of gun rights in America.
For more information, contact Taylor Rhodes at media@gunrights.org.
The National Association for Gun Rights is a 501(c)(4) organization headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, dedicated to defending the Second Amendment and fighting for the rights of peaceable Americans to keep and bear arms. Since its founding in 2001, NAGR has worked to hold anti-gun politicians accountable and promote maximum individual liberty by mobilizing more than 4.5 million members and grassroots activists nationwide.
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