A federal appeals court has struck down New Jersey’s ban on semi-automatic rifles and its limit on magazine capacity, dealing a significant setback to state gun-control laws.
The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled 10-5 that the restrictions violate the Second Amendment under the constitutional standard set by the Supreme Court in its 2022 Bruen decision.
The 192-page ruling found that the state’s prohibition on semi-automatic rifles, including the widely owned AR-15 platform, and its restrictions on magazines holding more than 10 rounds infringe on the right to keep and bear arms.
The majority opinion extended protection beyond a single rifle model, declaring the state’s assault firearm provisions unconstitutional as applied to the full class of semi-automatic rifles.
A district court had previously found that the state’s ban on the Colt AR-15 was unconstitutional but left the magazine limit in place. Friday’s decision goes further by overturning that limit as well.
New Jersey’s assault firearm law, enacted in 1990, criminalizes possession of a broad list of semi-automatic weapons and any substantially similar firearms. The state’s licensing process made lawful ownership effectively impossible for civilians.
In 2018, state lawmakers lowered the large-capacity magazine threshold from 15 rounds to 10, requiring residents to surrender, modify, or transfer standard magazines or face criminal penalties.
The appellate court’s ruling nullifies both the rifle and magazine restrictions, marking a major expansion of Second Amendment protections in the circuit.
