Supreme Court·Second Amendment

Switchblade and body armor rulings raise gun-rights hopes ahead of the Supreme Court's Dec. 2 AR-15 argument

Published 5:00 PM CT, Saturday, October 24, 2026 · Updated 5:12 PM CT
In the 5 PM CT update

The 5th Circuit ruled Wednesday that a federal law restricting interstate commerce in switchblades violates the Second Amendment, and a federal judge in western New York struck down the state's body armor restrictions, with both courts finding the items are protected "arms," Fox News reported. Gun-rights groups say the rulings preview Viramontes v. Cook County, which asks whether AR-15-style rifles are protected arms; the Supreme Court's argument is set for Wednesday, Dec. 2, SCOTUSblog's calendar shows.

• Supreme Court
• Second Amendment
• Viramontes v. Cook County
• AR-15
• Switchblades
• Body armor
• 5th Circuit
• Bruen
• Heller
• Gun rights