Federal judge rules New Jersey's ban on AR-15 is unconstitutional
A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that New Jersey's ban on the AR-15 is unconstitutional.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan referenced rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, writing "where the Supreme Court has set forth the law of our nation, as a lower court, I am bound to follow it."
Sheridan ruled that New Jersey's restrictions were "unconstitutional under Bruen and Heller as to the Colt AR-15 for use of self-defense within the home." That Supreme Court 2022 ruling struck down a New York statute that placed strict limits on who could carry a firearm in public and essentially deemed that the state's concealed carry restrictions were unconstitutional.
Sheridan ruled only on the right to possess the Colt AR-15 and not similar weapons as a whole.
The judge wrote in his ruling that "the court's analysis of the Assault Firearms Law is limited to the firearm with which the court has been provided the most infonnation: the AR-15."
In the ruling, Sheridan also noted "the reckless inaction of our governmental leaders to address the mass shooting tragedy afflicting our nation."
State Attorney General Matthew Platkin lambasted Tuesday's ruling, promising to appeal the decision, saying it has "no support in the text or the history of the Constitution."
"Today’s decision weaponizes the Second Amendment to undermine public safety," Platkin said in a statement. "The AR-15 is an instrument designed for warfare that inflicts catastrophic mass injuries, and is the weapon of choice for the epidemic of mass shootings that have ravaged so many communities across this nation."
However, Sheridan did side with the New Jersey law in limiting the size of a "large capacity ammunition magazine." In 2018, the state changed the capacity from 15 rounds to 10 rounds.
Platkin noted that "the overwhelming majority of our law remains intact today: the district court thankfully upheld our restriction on large-capacity magazines, and did not allow individuals to possess any other prohibited assault weapons."
The challenge was brought by the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs and two NJ gun owners.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ ban on AR-15 ruled unconstitutional by federal judge
