Latest news with #highcapacitymagazines
Forbes
4 days ago
- General
- Forbes
Supreme Court Rejects Challenges To State Weapons Bans
The Supreme Court ruled Monday to let two state gun control laws remain in place, as the 6-3 conservative court declined to take up challenges to Maryland's assault weapons ban and Rhode Island's ban on high-capacity magazines. Justices declined to take up two gases that could have expanded gun rights, including Maryland's ban on all 'assault weapons'—including popular semiautomatic weapons like the AR-15—and Rhode Island's ban on gun owners possessing magazines that contain more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The decisions mean that both laws will stay in place, but it's still possible the court could decide to take up challenges to those laws or other similar state gun control laws in the future. This story is breaking and will be updated.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top Washington state court upholds ban on high-capacity gun magazines
The Washington state Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on high-capacity magazine guns in a Thursday ruling, overturning a lower court order that labeled it unconstitutional. The 7-2 decision affirmed the constitutionality of a 3-year-old state law that prevents the sale, manufacture and import of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds 'This regulation does not limit the number of bullets or magazines that may be purchased or possessed. By restricting only magazines of a capacity greater than 10, the statute effectively regulates the maximum capacity of magazines, leaving the weapon fully functional for its intended purpose,' Justice Charles Johnson wrote in the majority's opinion about the ban. 'Thus, we are not convinced that the restriction here renders the right to bear arms in self defense meaningless,' he continued. Gator's Custom Guns Inc., a Washington for-profit corporation, and Walter Wentz initiated the lawsuit against the state law, arguing the ban violated citizens' Second Amendment rights. Justices Sheryl Gordon McCloud and G. Helen Whitener dissented Thursday in defense of the plaintiffs' dispute, alleging a magazine is not an optional accessory for a repeating firearm. 'It is a defining characteristic of a repeating firearm. As Gator's Custom Guns explains, 'Without a magazine inserted, a semiautomatic weapon will not function properly' and is 'essentially a single shot breech loader' like an old-fashioned musket,' McCloud wrote in the dissent. 'And because the magazine functions as an ammunition feeding device, it is not just a passive receptacle for storing ammunition like a cartridge box.' McCloud, in the dissent, added that the Second Amendment does not just protect 'arms' but also 'arms-bearing conduct.' Washington Attorney General Nick Brown lauded the court's decision Thursday, citing the threat of violent events. 'Today's decision is right on the law and will save lives,' Brown said in a prepared statement according to The Seattle Times. 'Large capacity magazines are used in the overwhelming majority of mass shootings, and reducing the toll of these senseless killings is vitally important.' Thirteen other states outlaw high-capacity magazines. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
