The Supreme Court will hear Viramontes v. Cook County this Term to decide whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right to own AR-15 platform rifles.
Amicus briefs filed at the merits phase show where the debate now stands. Amici filed 46 briefs. Of those briefs, 27 state attorneys general argue AR-15s are in common use for lawful purposes and tied to fewer crimes than handguns, while the Illinois State Rifle Association argues lower courts have invented tests that conflict directly with the Supreme Court’s Heller and Bruen precedents.
Other briefs highlight data and identity. Professor William English’s 2026 National Firearms Survey estimates 22.1 million AR-15 owners, 83 percent citing defensive purposes. A coalition including the National African American Gun Association says that a decision for respondents will negatively impact marginalized communities’ access to self-defense.
Not every brief backs the challengers. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in support of neither party, argues communities should retain power to regulate “exceptionally lethal” weapons while preserving a narrower self-defense right.
The overwhelming majority of briefs back the challengers in defense of gun rights. The case is scheduled to be argued on December 2, 2026.
