Firearms

Cutberto Viramontes, et al., v. Cook County, Illinois, et al.; Eddie Grant, Jr., et al., v. Ronnel Higgins, in his official capacity as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Transportation, et al. (Filed: 10/26/2026)
In 1994, Cook County, Illinois enacted a ban on over 100 specifically named semiautomatic rifles, including AR-15 and AK-47 rifles. In 2021, Cutberto Viramontes and Christopher Khaya, along with two firearm advocacy organizations, filed a lawsuit arguing that the ban infringes on Second and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The district court ruled with Cook County, upholding the ban, and this decision was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court will now hear arguments, which is where this brief was filed in support of Cook County and the semiautomatic rifle ban.

ACP has long advocated for the need to address firearm-related injuries and deaths in the United States, calling it a public health crisis that requires the nation's immediate attention. ACP supports legislation to ban the manufacture, sale, transfer, and subsequent ownership for civilian use of semiautomatic firearms. In this amicus brief, the interested parties detail some of the harm caused by assault weapons, told through personal experiences of physicians, and highlight the health risks that these weapons specifically pose. The brief further argues that assault rifles are dangerous and unusual weapons that pose a public health hazard and are outside the scope of protections of the Second Amendment.

See additional relevant ACP advocacy in the Firearm Injuries and Deaths section.

Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General, et al., v. Micheal Cargill (Filed: 12/26/2023)
Prior to 2018, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) maintained that bump stocks were not machine guns as defined by statute. After the public outrage following the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting which involved bump stocks, the ATF changed its stance, reclassifying bump stocks as machine guns and exposing owners to criminal liability. Michael Cargill surrendered his bump stocks due to this new regulation and filed a lawsuit challenging the ATF regulations, arguing that the ATF exceeded its authority in defining bump stocks as machine guns. The district court ruled in favor of the government and its new definition, but the appeals court reversed this decision. The Supreme Court will now hear this case to determine if a bump stock is a machine gun as defined by U.S. statute.

ACP policy favors enactment of legislation to ban the manufacture, sale, transfer, and subsequent ownership for civilian use of semiautomatic firearms that are designed to increase their rapid killing capacity. In this amicus brief, the interested parties argue that bump stocks are a public health issue and should be defined as machine guns, and present testimonies from physicians who have firsthand knowledge of the deadly effects of bump stocks and semi-automatic weapons.

See additional relevant ACP advocacy in the Firearm Injuries and Deaths section.