Connecticut’s Assault Weapon Ban Upheld in Federal Appeals Court

Connecticut scored a major legal victory this week as the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected challenges to the state’s post-Sandy Hook restrictions on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. The ruling affirms that Connecticut’s strong gun safety laws remain in full effect.

Attorney General William Tong, who has consistently defended the state’s firearm laws, praised the decision as a triumph for public safety. “Connecticut’s assault weapon and large capacity magazine bans are lawful, lifesaving, and broadly supported,” Tong said. “We will not back down, and we are going to fight with everything we’ve got to keep these weapons of war off our streets, out of our schools, and away from our families.”

The decision came in response to lawsuits brought by the National Association for Gun Rights, the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, and the Second Amendment Foundation, among others. These groups argued that Connecticut’s 2013 law, formally known as An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety, violated the Second Amendment. Passed after the 2012 Sandy Hook tragedy in Newtown, where 20 first-graders and six educators were killed with an AR-15-style rifle, the law effectively banned AR-15s and other military-style weapons, as well as large-capacity magazines.

A Second Circuit panel ruled that the restrictions fall within the United States’ historical tradition of gun regulation. The judges described AR-15s and similar firearms as “unusually dangerous weapons,” noting that Connecticut’s law does not eliminate the right to self-defense but rather channels it toward less lethal options. The court wrote, “The challenged Connecticut laws impose targeted restrictions on unusually dangerous weapons while preserving numerous legal alternatives for self-defense and other lawful purposes.”

In rejecting the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction, the court also pointed to a lack of evidence of irreparable harm. The panel noted that plaintiffs had not shown why the wide array of legal firearms available in Connecticut—including many types of semiautomatic handguns—were insufficient for self-defense while the case proceeds.

The three-judge panel featured U.S. Circuit Judge Alison Nathan, a Biden appointee, U.S. Circuit Judge John Walker, appointed by George H.W. Bush, and U.S. Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston, appointed by George W. Bush. Their decision leaned on the 2022 Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which tied Second Amendment protections to the nation’s historical tradition. In this case, they found that historical precedent supported restrictions on particularly dangerous weapons.

Gun rights groups expressed their disappointment. Holly Sullivan, president of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, criticized the decision as disregarding Supreme Court precedent, claiming, “The Supreme Court must put a stop to our courts treating the Second Amendment as if it were not part of the Bill of Rights.” Kostas Moros, an attorney with the Second Amendment Foundation, called the ruling “disappointing but not surprising,” adding that he expects the Supreme Court to eventually weigh in and reverse such decisions.

Despite these objections, Connecticut officials view the ruling as confirmation that the state’s approach strikes the right balance between constitutional rights and public safety. The court emphasized that the Second Amendment is “not unlimited,” and that laws targeting weapons “uniquely designed to create mayhem” are both constitutional and necessary.

For Attorney General Tong and supporters of Connecticut’s gun laws, the ruling is not just about one state’s statutes—it is about reinforcing the principle that protecting families and children from another Sandy Hook-style tragedy is consistent with both common sense and the Constitution.

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