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Federal rulings extend Second Amendment protection to switchblades and body armor

Fox News reports two federal rulings extending Second Amendment protection to switchblades and body armor, ahead of a Supreme Court AR-15 case.

The short version

  • Two federal court rulings on Wednesday extended Second Amendment protections to switchblade knives and body armor.[Fox News]
  • The Fifth Circuit ruled against a federal switchblade commerce law, and a New York federal judge struck down state body armor limits.[Fox News]
  • National Association for Gun Rights President Dudley Brown said a Supreme Court ruling against AR-15 bans could affect challenges to magazines, automatic knives and body armor.[Fox News]
  • The Supreme Court has not yet decided the AR-15 case, so its scope and outcome remain unknown.[Fox News]

Key facts

  • Two federal court rulings on Wednesday extended Second Amendment protections to switchblade knives and body armor.[Fox News]
  • The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a federal law restricting interstate commerce of switchblade knives violated the Second Amendment.[Fox News]
  • A federal judge in the Western District of New York struck down New York's restrictions on personal body armor.[Fox News]
  • National Association for Gun Rights President Dudley Brown said a Supreme Court ruling against AR-15 bans could influence challenges to restrictions on ammunition magazines, automatic knives, body armor and other defensive equipment.[Fox News]
  • George Lyon, a Second Amendment attorney, said the governments in both cases failed to identify sufficiently similar historical laws justifying the modern restrictions.[Fox News]
  • National Rifle Association director of public affairs Justin Davis said the AR-15 dispute is part of a broader legal fight over what qualifies as an arm under the Second Amendment.[Fox News]

What remains uncertain

  • The outcome of the Supreme Court AR-15 case and how far any ruling would reach into other gun-equipment rules are unknown; advocates' predictions are opinions.[Fox News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.