Supreme Court To Take Up Semi-Auto Bans
06.30.2026
The US Supreme Court has finally agreed to take up one of the most important and divisive issues in America today. They have agreed to hear Viramontes v. Cook County concerning Cook County, Illinois’ ban on modern firearms.
We cannot overstate how momentous this decision is, nor can we ignore how long overdue it is.
States and localities across the country have been flagrantly violating the Second Amendment rights of Americans by banning the most popular and common self-defense firearms.
Common sense and past court rulings make it impossible to justify these bans. Cook County, in its defense of these violations, had written
“Their inherent lethality makes them an alluring choice for mass murder, compared to less lethal weapons like knives or handguns…At war, the ability to fire continuously without reloading translates to combat effectiveness.”
Their “reasoning,” much like the arguments in so many other cases (including in our suit, Oregon Firearms Federation v. Kotek), is based on the idea that these firearms should be banned because they do exactly what they were designed to do. No rational person could take the position that semi-auto rifles should be banned because “handguns are less lethal.”
Suggesting that firearms that have military uses should be outlawed turns the Second Amendment on its head, and previous court rulings have acknowledged that Americans have a right to own firearms for self-defense.
Oregon’s constitution goes further, making it clear that our right is protected to safeguard ourselves and the state. Going back to US v Miller from 1939, the Supreme Court ruled that short-barreled shotguns were not protected because they were NOT military weapons. And while the court was wrong in its assessment about the military value of short-barreled shotguns, the ruling made it clear that “military-style” weapons are most certainly protected under the Second Amendment, which, in case most courts have not noticed, refers to the “rights of the people” while understanding they are the “militia.”
Politically motivated lower courts have upheld unconstitutional gun bans; this action by the Supreme Court has been too long in coming. We are pleased to note that it will finally be addressed. Arguments are expected to be heard this fall.