The legal battle over “assault weapons” bans is inching closer to the U.S. Supreme Court, as the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) filed a reply brief on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, pressing the High Court to take up its challenge to the Cook County, Illinois, ban.
The case, Viramontes v. Cook County, has been distributed for a conference among the Justices scheduled for Friday, December 5th. The reply brief was submitted following an attempt by Cook County to persuade the Supreme Court not to hear the case.
Seeking Constitutional Clarity
SAF, along with the Firearms Policy Coalition and two private citizens, is challenging the county’s prohibition on certain semi-automatic firearms. The organization argues that the Supreme Court needs to intervene to settle the constitutionality of such bans “once and for all.”
“Despite Cook County’s attempt to avoid constitutional accountability, we think Viramontes is a suitable vehicle for the Court to settle the assault weapons ban issue,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. He expressed hope that the case would provide the opportunity for the Court to “put an end to these pernicious hardware bans.”
The brief contends that the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the ban, “is not alone in deeply misunderstanding the application of the Second Amendment in challenges to firearm bans,” and that “the time has come for this Court to address the AR-15 issue.”
Rights of Millions at Stake
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating, “The assault weapons issue has percolated long enough.” He stressed that the bans subject “the fundamental rights of millions of Americans… to constitutional injury.”
The case originated in 2021, and its petition for a writ of certiorari was filed in August. The Justices will consider the petition at their December conference, which could result in the Court granting review, denying review, or taking no immediate action.
A decision to grant review would put the constitutionality of widely adopted “assault weapons” bans—which typically target popular semi-automatic rifles—squarely before the nation’s highest court.
The Supreme Court has faced numerous appeals concerning firearm bans since its 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which established a historical-tradition test for Second Amendment challenges.
READ: SAF Fights New York City Stun Gun Ban, Files Reply Brief In Second Circuit Court
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