New Jersey is one of several anti-gun-dominated states that threw a political temper tantrum at the U.S. Supreme Court recently.
When justices corrected the decades-long trend of suppressing gun rights with the 2022 Bruen decision, the Garden State fired back with new and even more aggressive restrictions on the freedom to keep and bear arms.
But that tide is turning, and the National Rifle Association-backed challenge to the state’s gun laws just picked up a powerful supporter.
New Jersey’s sweeping prohibition of popular semi-automatic weapons faces a strong challenge
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) weighed in on Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs v. Platkin. The NRA is an influential backer of the challenge to New Jersey’s sweeping ban on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines.”
Understand, this prohibition strips gun rights away from millions of state residents while banning the most popular sporting rifles in the U.S.
A district court held last year that the ban on semi-automatic weapons was unconstitutional—with a catch. The ruling only applied to the Colt AR-15, which pleased no one.
Third Circuit will hear arguments on New Jersey’s controversial gun law next month
Appeals were directed to the Third Circuit, which is scheduled to hear oral arguments on October 15, 2025. That’s where the DOJ comes in.
The powerful brief lays out for the court the history of the Second Amendment and its role in protecting fundamental American freedoms. The DOJ argues that gun rights are not limited to self-defense, hunting, and sport shooting.
Instead, they are guaranteed for all law-abiding adult citizens for any lawful purpose. The high court already established that weapons “in common use” fall under Second Amendment protections, which indeed exempts the AR-15 and a host of popular modern sporting rifles.
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