Supreme Court to Review Petition on Connecticut Assault Weapons Ban
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview.
On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court will take its first look at a challenge to Connecticut’s ban on semi-automatic weapons, which was implemented after the devastation of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
“We have come together in a way that relatively few places in our nation have demonstrated an ability to do," said Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy as he signed the new restrictions into law back in April 2013. "In some sense I hope that this is an example to the rest of the nation.”
But opponents responded swiftly to the measure. The case, Shew v. Malloy, was brought by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, a pro-second Amendment group, against the state's decision to expand the definition of assault weapons and the move to ban 183 such weapons by make and model. Additionally, the Connecticut bill also made the possession, transportation, sale, or importation of such assault weapons as a felony offense.
Will the court wind up hearing the case? For answers, we turn to Eric Citron, a partner at Goldstein & Russell. He is also a former clerk to Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Elena Kagan, and a guest contributor to SCOTUSblog. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear our full conversation.
UPDATE June 20, 2016 10:04 AM: The Supreme Court has decided to leave New York and Connecticut's assault weapons bans in place. Click here to learn more.
