Published July 31, 2026 at 11:29 AM ET · Updated July 31, 2026 at 12:41 PM ET
New Jersey AG asks court to preserve gun and magazine ban
1 independent outlets are covering this story. Verification: Watching — single-source — not yet independently corroborated. Patriot Watch links to original reporting; we don't republish it.
New Jersey's Attorney General has asked a court to uphold the state's ban on certain firearms and magazines. The request seeks to preserve the ban amid ongoing legal proceedings.
Patriot Watch first flagged this story 1 hr ago, when Bearing Arms reported it. So far this remains a single-source report. The most recent report came 1 hr ago from Bearing Arms. Verification tier: Watching — single-source — not yet independently corroborated.
⚖ The Constitutional Angle
District of Columbia v. Heller held the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess firearms for self-defense and struck down DC's handgun ban. Jaime Caetano v. Massachusetts added that the Amendment covers all bearable arms, including those not existing at the founding. New Jersey's ban thus turns on whether the targeted guns and magazines are in common use for lawful purposes.
District of Columbia v. Heller 554 U.S. 570 (2008)
Vote: 5-4 · Opinion: Scalia
The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia and to use it for traditionally lawful purposes such as self-defense within the home. The right is not unlimited: the Court noted that longstanding prohibitions (e.g., possession by felons and the mentally ill, carrying in sensitive places, conditions on commercial sale) remain presumptively lawful. D.C.'s ban on handgun possession in the home and its requirement that lawful firearms in the home be kept nonfunctional violate the Second Amendment.
Jaime Caetano v. Massachusetts 577 U.S. 411 (2016)
Vote: Unanimous per curiam (8-member Court, post-Scalia); no recorded vote split · Opinion: Per curiam (unsigned)
Summarily vacating the SJC's judgment without briefing on the merits or oral argument, the Court held that each of the SJC's three rationales contradicted Heller: the Second Amendment extends prima facie to all bearable arms, including those not in existence at the founding; 'unusual' cannot be equated with 'not in common use in 1789'; and protection is not limited to weapons useful in warfare. The case was remanded for further proceedings; the Court did not itself hold the Massachusetts ban unconstitutional.
Precedent facts from the PW Law Library — primary-source verified & independently audited
