A coalition led by Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation filed an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court on September 4 in the consolidated Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins cases. The filing supports the challengers seeking reversal of lower-court decisions that upheld Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut restrictions on AR-15-platform and similar semiautomatic rifles. It is advocacy from nonparties, not a court order, and it does not suspend either law.

The filing and the cases

The filed brief identifies 20 amici, including firearm-rights groups and four industry names: B&T USA, Century Arms, CANiK, and Fostech. The Supreme Court docket records the submission in Nos. 25-238 and 25-566. The Court granted review on June 30, consolidated the cases for briefing and oral argument, and directed that later activity appear under the Viramontes docket.

The two cases reached the Court from different circuits and procedural positions. Viramontes challenges Cook County's ban after the Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of summary judgment to the plaintiffs. Grant challenges Connecticut's ban after the Second Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction. The amicus brief says both laws generally prohibit acquisition, disposition, and possession of magazine-fed semiautomatic rifles with listed features commonly associated with the AR-15. Those descriptions are the amici's account of the laws and prior rulings, not a new holding by the Supreme Court.