Prosecutor Group Files Supreme Court Brief Backing Assault Weapons Bans

A prosecutors' coalition co-chaired by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold assault weapons bans in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois, USA Carry reports.

Key points

• The filing: Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, also co-chaired by Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein, announced its friend-of-the-court brief Oct. 29 in Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, which the Court will hear together on Dec. 2, 2026.
• The argument: Per the DA's announcement, the brief calls the AR-15 an "equalizer" between amateurs and trained professionals such as police, and says Bruen gives states extra room to regulate it.
• State support: WRNJ Radio reports that New Jersey, Massachusetts, 17 other states and the District of Columbia filed a brief on the same side.
• The other side: Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation, with Century Arms, Canik USA, B&T USA and Fostech, filed a Sept. 4 brief asking the justices to overturn the bans. GOA estimates Americans own 20 to 40 million AR-15s.

Quick take

Bragg said states ought to be able to enforce bans on what he called "weapons of war," while GOA Senior Vice President Erich Pratt said a favorable ruling would strike hard at some of the nation's "most extreme gun control laws." USA Carry's Luke McCoy says the request for a looser Bruen standard is what gun owners should follow most closely. The Court has not ruled in either case.

Read the full story at USA Carry.