The US Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to Maryland’s ban on semiautomatic rifles, including the AR-15, letting the law stand. The Maryland law, passed in 2013 after the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut, restricts the ownership of certain rifles and limits gun magazines to 10 rounds. By refusing the case, the Supreme Court leaves the ban in place without making a ruling on its constitutionality.
This continues the Supreme Court’s cautious approach to Second Amendment cases, having issued only a few major gun rights decisions since 2008. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing the Supreme Court should address the issue soon, as millions of law-abiding Americans own these rifles.
Gun violence remains a pressing concern. So far in 2025, the US has experienced 165 mass shootings. As the world mourns the lives unnecessarily lost, now is an important time to look both inward and outward, examining the regulations of other countries and how they impact the safety of their populations. Read on to explore gun policies, mass shootings, and their relationships in countries around the world.