WASHINGTON, D.C. – Republican Attorneys General Kris Kobach and Jonathan Skrmetti, along with 25 other states, are leading an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the Second Amendment and reject bans on AR-15 platform rifles and other commonly owned semiautomatic rifles.
The brief was filed in Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins, two cases before the Supreme Court concerning state and local restrictions on semiautomatic rifles.
Oral arguments are scheduled for December 2, 2026.
The brief argues that the Second Amendment protects firearms commonly owned by Americans for lawful purposes, including self-defense, hunting, and sport. It notes that roughly 20 million AR-15 platform rifles are currently in circulation.
The Attorneys General point to FBI data showing that rifles are used in a substantially smaller share of violent crimes than handguns and other weapons. In the most recent one-year data cited by the Attorneys General, the FBI recorded 378 homicides involving rifles compared to 3,817 involving handguns. Over the previous decade, the FBI recorded 3,809 homicides involving rifles compared to 43,342 involving handguns.
Joining Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti are Attorneys General from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.