Judge Strikes Down New Jersey’s AR-15 Prohibition, Upholds Ban on Large Capacity Magazines

A federal judge has ruled that New Jersey’s AR-15 ban is unconstitutional, although he refused to extend this determination to other firearms subject to the prohibition. He also upheld the state’s restrictions on large-capacity magazines. U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan issued an order on July 30 declaring that including the Colt AR-15 rifle on the list of firearms defined in the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice Section 2C:39-1 as an “assault firearm” and subjecting it to restrictions violates the Second Amendment and is incompatible with recent U.S. Supreme Court precedents. “The AR-15 Provision of the Assault Firearms Law is unconstitutional under Bruen and Heller as to the Colt AR-15 for use of self-defense within the home,” Sheridan wrote in an accompanying memorandum, referring to two cases decided by the Supreme Court in 2022 and 2008, respectively....