Second Amendment Group Files Supreme Court Brief Challenging Illinois Assault-Weapon Ban

On Friday, the Second Amendment Foundation lodged its opening brief before the United States Supreme Court in the consolidated cases Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, which challenge a 2006 Cook County ordinance banning “assault weapons.” The filing asserts that the ban infringes the Second Amendment as interpreted in District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, emphasizing that modern semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 are commonly used for lawful self-defense.

SAF’s legal team, including Director of Legal Research Konstadinos Moros and Executive Director Adam Kraut, criticized prior appellate rulings for relying on “unserious arguments” and urged the Court to adopt a broader protection for firearms. The Supreme Court granted certiorari on the two cases in late June, shortly after a recent 6-3 decision striking down Hawaii’s “vampire rule.” Meanwhile, the Third Circuit’s opinion in Cheeseman v. New Jersey Attorney General declared New Jersey’s assault-weapon and large-capacity-magazine bans unconstitutional, creating a circuit split that may influence the upcoming arguments.