Supreme Court declines to examine appeals over Maryland, Rhode Island gun control laws

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear two major gun rights cases, allowing Maryland’s ban on assault-style weapons like the AR-15 and Rhode Island’s ban on large-capacity magazines to remain in effect. Despite its conservative majority, the Court has recently been hesitant to take up new Second Amendment cases. Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch wanted to review Maryland’s law, while Justice Kavanaugh called the ruling “questionable” and said the Court should revisit the issue soon. Gun control advocates welcomed the decision, while gun rights groups expressed disappointment, NBC News has reported. The legal debate over such bans is ongoing and likely to return to the Court.