Cook County case. The case challenges Cook County, Illinois ban on so-called assault weapons, a law that specifically prohibits AR-15’s AK-style rifles and dozens of other semi-automatic firearms by name and by features. Cook County’s ordinance makes it a criminal offense for a peaceable citizen to simply own one of these rifles. Violators face seizure of the firearm up to six months in jail and a minimum of fine of $5,000. Now, the petition asks a simple but profound question. Do the Second and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee the right to possess AR-15’s and similar semi-automatic rifles? What say you? What’s up, everybody? Jared here with Guns N’ Gadgets, your premier source for Second Amendment news that you won’t hear anywhere else.

If you care about your rights and want to stay ahead of the fight for the Second Amendment, hit the subscribe button today. Join this movement. It doesn’t cost you anything. It’s free. Patriots, if you love America and you love your coffee strong, you got to check out Blackout Coffee. This isn’t your average store-bought brew. It’s premium small batch roasted coffee made right here in the United States of America by people who love freedom as much as you do. Every single bag of our coffee is roasted fresh so you’re not getting coffee that’s sat on a shelf for months.

You’re getting rich, bold flavors delivered straight to your door. And when you support Blackout Coffee, you’re supporting a company that proudly backs the Constitution, our Second Amendment, and hard-working Americans. Start your mornings the right way. With coffee that tastes as good as freedom feels, head over to blackoutcoffee.com slash gng and for a very limited time only use Labor Day 25. Save 25% site-wide. Gotta do it now, though. Blackoutcoffee.com slash gng. Link is down below. Wake up like a patriot. Alright, this isn’t just about Cook County, Illinois, guys and gals. The AR-15 is the most popular rifle in the United States.

The Supreme Court itself has already acknowledged that fact in Smith & Wesson brands versus Mexico early this year. Now, some key stats presented in the petition are surveys show that 16 to 24 million Americans own AR-15 or similar style rifles. Now, they account for around 20% of all firearm sales over the past decade. They are widely used for home defense, target shooting, hunting, and competitions. And despite their popularity, rifles of any kind are used in only about 380 homicides per year nationwide. Meaning over 99.999% of these rifles are never used in crime. So if the Second Amendment doesn’t protect the most commonly owned rifle in America, then what does it protect? That’s the crux of the issue here.

And here’s how we got here. In 2021, SAF, FPC, and individual gun owners filed suit against Cook County, this very case. By the time this case reached summary judgment, the Supreme Court had just decided the Bruin case, which clarified that gun laws must be justified by the text of the Second Amendment inconsistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. But the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ban anyway in violation of Bruin. And they leaned on the earlier decision in Beavis versus Naperville, a case where they said AR-15s aren’t even arms under the Second Amendment because they’re supposedly too military-like.

Now, according to the Seventh Circuit, AR-15 is almost the same as the M-16, that’s a quote from the case, and can therefore be excluded from constitutional protection. That reasoning is a complete distortion of Heller and Bruin, and the Supreme Court already said in Heller that arms covers all bearable weapons, even those not in existence at the founding. And the only arms that could historically be banned were those that were both dangerous and unusual, which the AR-15 is not because it’s owned by millions. Now, this isn’t just an Illinois problem. States like California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Delaware, I think that’s all of them.

They all have sweeping bans on ARs and other semi-automatics, and every time these bans are challenged, lower courts twist themselves into knots trying to uphold them like the communist bastards they are. Justice Kavanaugh has already gone on record saying that there’s a strong argument that AR-15s are in common use and should be protected. And Justice Thomas said the same thing in dissents when he, well, when the court, not him, denied earlier cert petitions. He’s always wanted to take the case up. Now, with this case, the court has another chance to settle the issue once and for all.

Remember, Kavanaugh did say that the court would take up an assault weapon ban case in the next term or two, and we’re in the next term. And the stakes are huge, guys. If the Supreme Court takes the case and rules against Cook County, it could destroy and strike down all assault weapon bans nationwide. If they refuse, or worse, uphold the ban, it could embolden anti-gun politicians everywhere to push even broader restrictions. Now, Second Amendment Foundation’s petition lays out several main reasons why the Supreme Court should step in. Number one, lower court confusion. Circuits can’t agree on how to apply Bruin and Heller.

Some courts say ARs aren’t even arms. Others dodge the issue entirely. Number two is the critical national importance. This isn’t about fringe weapons, it’s about the most popular rifle in America. Number three, direct conflict with Supreme Court precedent. The Seventh Circuit’s reasoning flat out contradicts Heller, which recognized that all bearable arms, all bearable firearms are arms, rather, in Bruin, which rejected the balancing tests. Number four is a clean vehicle for review, meaning there are no factual disputes here. Everyone agrees the AR-15s are semi-automatic rifles owned by millions. The only issue is whether the Constitution protects them.

The Supreme Court now has the petition in front of them. They could deny it, as they’ve done before, hold it while other cases develop, because there are several AWB cases in the higher levels of the judicial system, or they could grant certiorari and finally decide whether bans on ARs are constitutional. And if they grant review, we could see oral arguments in 2026 and a decision by June. So let’s cut to the heart of it. If courts can say that the Second Amendment doesn’t cover the AR-15, then nothing stops them from moving the line again tomorrow.

Today it’s AR-15s, tomorrow it could be semi-automatic shotguns, then all semi-automatic pistols, and then we would need a complete reset. This case could decide whether the government can outlaw firearms that are common, popular, and overwhelmingly owned by law-abiding citizens. This is one of the most important Second Amendment case topics in our lifetime. The AR-15 isn’t just a rifle, it’s America’s rifle. If the Supreme Court doesn’t step in, the door’s wide open for lawmakers to chip away until nothing’s left of the right to keep and bear arms. Stay tuned to the channel because I will keep you updated every single step of the way.

Make sure you like, share, and subscribe so more people hear about what’s really happening with the attack on our Second Amendment. As always, keep fighting for freedom, y’all. Support those who support you, join groups like SAF, FPC, and others. Links are in the description. Hope you have a great day. Stay free. [tr:trw].

See more of Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News on their Public Channel and the MPN Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News channel.