Landmark Decision: Federal Appeals Court Rejects New Jersey's AR-15 And Magazine Bans

In a major victory those seeking to rid America of bans on so-called "assault weapons," for the first time ever, a federal appeals court has ruled that a state's ban on AR-15s and similar rifles, and its ban on "high-capacity" magazines, violate the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution.

The bans in question had been enacted by New Jersey, but the ruling carries weight throughout the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which also includes Pennsylvania and Delaware. More significantly, the Third Circuit ruling creates a direct circuit split -- the term used to describe a situation where two or more federal courts hand down different interpretations of the same legal controversy, which results in litigants in different parts of the country experiencing sharply different outcomes. Circuit splits are one of the key factors that make an issue ripe for US Supreme Court review.

Late last month, the Supreme Court already agreed to hear an appeal of rulings that upheld a "assault rifle" ban imposed READ MORE AT SOURCE »