Law professor Jonathan Turley suggests Democrats’ state-level AR-15 bans have become so egregious the Supreme Court of the United States may finally step in.
Virginia is making headlines for their most recent ban, which cleared the state’s legislature on March 10. 2026. It bans the sale, transfer, and possession of AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols, but was able to pass by including a grandfather clause that allows those who legally own them to keep them once the ban is in effect.
Minnesota state Sen. Matt Klein (DFL) is pushing a similar AR-15 ban, but with the additional facet of allowing current owners of banned firearms to keep them by agreeing to allow law enforcement to enter their home to verify storage law compliance.
Turley zeroed in on the proposed Minnesota ban, noting:
What makes the Minnesota law so distinctive is the provision on home inspections. The law states that, in addition to securing state permission or certification for the possession of existing weapons, owners must “agree to allow the appropriate law enforcement agency to inspect the storage of the device to ensure compliance with this subdivision.”
So new sales of these models would be banned, while existing weapons could only be retained if owners agree to home inspections. It is part of an overall assault on gun rights not just to limit models but to add layers of regulation for those who wish to retain their weapons.
He juxtaposed the proposed ban(s) with SCOTUS’s prominent 2A rulings, 2008 to present: “We have a Second Amendment protection of gun ownership, with over 490 million guns in private hands, as of 2022. In 2008, the Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller, recognizing the Second Amendment as encompassing an individual right to bear arms. The Supreme Court further strengthened the right in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen.”
And he noted that the Democrats’ chief target, the AR-15 rifle, “is the most popular gun in America.”
Turley added, “The number of [AR-15s] in private hands is continuing to rise rapidly, with one AR-15 purchased in every five new firearms sales. These AR-15s clearly are not being purchased for armored deer. Many are purchased for personal and home protection; it is also popular for target shooting and hunting. Many gun owners like the AR-15 because it is modular; depending on the model, you can swap out barrels, bolts, and high-capacity magazines, or add a variety of accessories.”
He concluded by noting that the Democrats’ current state-level gun control pushes “will, hopefully, compel the Court to accept review of these laws and bring greater clarity on the scope of this individual right.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at [email protected].
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