Published July 17, 2026 at 4:31 PM ET · Updated July 17, 2026 at 10:45 PM ET
Third Circuit strikes down New Jersey's AR-15 and magazine bans
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has struck down New Jersey's bans on AR-15 style rifles and large-capacity magazines. The ruling invalidates the state restrictions on the firearms and accessories.
Patriot Watch first flagged this story 7 hr ago, when The Reload reported it. So far this remains a single-source report. The most recent report came 7 hr ago from The Reload. Verification tier: Watching — single-source — not yet independently corroborated.
⚖ The Constitutional Angle
Caetano held the Second Amendment covers all bearable arms, including those not existing at the founding, and rejected treating a weapon as unprotected just for being modern. Bruen requires the government to justify a firearm restriction by showing a historical tradition of comparable regulation. Whether AR-15 bans survive that test at the Supreme Court remains unsettled, with a rifle-ban merits case now pending.
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.
New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Kevin P. Bruen, Superintendent of New York State Police 597 U.S. 1 (2022)
Vote: 6-3 · Opinion: Thomas
New York's requirement that applicants demonstrate 'proper cause' — a special need for self-protection distinguishable from the general community — to obtain an unrestricted public-carry license violates the Fourteenth Amendment by preventing law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms in public. The Court held the Second Amendment protects a right to carry handguns publicly for self-defense, and rejected the two-step means-end framework lower courts had applied after Heller.
Precedent facts from the PW Law Library — primary-source verified & independently audited
