Supreme Court Upholds Illinois Ban on Assault Weapons and Semi-Automatic Rifles

The US Supreme Court has denied an emergency request from people challenging an Illinois state law that bans the sale of certain semi-automatic guns and large-capacity magazines. The law, which bans so-called assault weapons, was enacted in January and was driven largely by the killing of seven people at a 4th of July parade last year in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. The case also involves a separate so-called assault weapon bans passed by the city of Naperville. The Supreme Court's conservative majority just last year handed gun rights activists a major victory, ruling that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.