Third Circuit Spikes New Jersey Ban on ‘Assault Firearms’ and Large Capacity Magazines

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has struck down New Jersey’s ban on “assault firearms” and large-capacity magazines. 

The court ruled that the bans violated the Second Amendment. 

The Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs Inc., Blake Ellman, and Marc Weinburg had sued the New Jersey Attorney General, the Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, the Officer in Charge of the Chester Police Department, and the Chief of Police of the Park Ridge Police Department over the weapons ban. 

The 192-page ruling released on July 17 consolidates three separate lawsuits under the Second Amendment. The court remanded the question to the District Court. 

The court wrote: 

“It determined that New Jersey’s ban on Colt AR-15s violates the Second Amendment. When it turned to the LCM Provisions, it held that the law does not violate the Second Amendment or the Takings Clause. Applying the framework announced in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022), we agree with the District Court that New Jersey’s ban on Colt AR-15s violates the Second Amendment. 

“However, because the record supports the same result for all semi-automatic rifles—not only Colt AR-15s—we will MODIFY the District Court’s order so that it deems the Assault Firearm Provisions unconstitutional with respect to the full class of semi-automatic rifles. We will AFFIRM that part of the order as modified. The LCM Provisions also violate the Second Amendment, so we will REVERSE the District Court’s order with respect to those.”

The National Rifle Association’s state affiliate, the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, was the lead plaintiff when the case was initially filed and later amended to include assault weapons. 

 2026.07.17_125_OPINION  by  scott.mcclallen 

The NRA funded the lawsuit, and its counsel gave oral arguments before the Third Circuit. 

🚨 The Third Circuit, sitting en banc, has struck down New Jersey’s ban on semi-automatic rifles and its ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds, ruling both violate the Second Amendment under Bruen. pic.twitter.com/T5iwFJAeGD

— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) July 17, 2026

🇺🇸 NEW JERSEY “ASSAULT WEAPONS” BAN STRUCK DOWN! 🇺🇸

The Third Circuit has handed down an en banc decision striking down New Jersey’s hardware and magazine ban!

This is a great sign heading into SCOTUS, where we hope to see a similar ruling, and sets up legal challenges for… pic.twitter.com/uIKWsZBlCx

— National Association for Gun Rights (@gunrights) July 17, 2026

FPC WIN: Third Circuit strikes down New Jersey’s “assault weapon” and magazine bans in an en banc decision whose 192 pages include numerous concurrences and dissents: https://t.co/XrjnZkKX5L pic.twitter.com/gxyxESuvg7

— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) July 17, 2026

For a while now, the antigun states and orgs have asserted that every circuit to deal with an “assault weapon” ban or magazine capacity limit has upheld such laws. We have pushed back on that, arguing that the only courts so far to hear those issues were in circuits traditionally… pic.twitter.com/w8mYSNmwCZ

— SAF (@2AFDN) July 17, 2026

John Commerford, Executive Director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, welcomed the win. 

“Today marks a historic victory for the NRA, the Second Amendment, and law-abiding Americans,” Commerford said in a statement. “The Third Circuit has struck down these unconstitutional so-called assault weapons bans and magazine bans in New Jersey, affirming what we’ve always known: the right to keep and bear arms, including commonly-owned rifles and standard-capacity magazines, is fundamental and cannot be infringed by politicians who prioritize control over constitutional freedoms. This ruling protects the rights of millions of responsible gun owners in the Garden State and serves as another benchmark in our efforts to dismantle gun control across the country.”

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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