Trump Justice Department urges Supreme Court to strike down state and local AR-15 bans

The U.S. Justice Department is urging the Supreme Court to strike down categorical bans on AR-15 rifles in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois, arguing that the restrictions violate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The position was presented in a brief filed Friday by Solicitor General D. John Sauer in two cases before the Supreme Court: Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins. 

The United States filed the brief as an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” in support of the challengers to the gun restrictions.

The cases concern laws that prohibit the possession of firearms classified as “assault weapons.” 

Both Connecticut's law and Cook County's ordinance specifically cover AR-15 rifles.

Connecticut's law reportedly provides an exception for certain firearms that were legally possessed before the ban took effect.

The Justice Department's central argument is that the Second Amendment protects firearms that are commonly possessed by law-abiding Americans for lawful purposes.