TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell led a coalition of 19 states in filing an amicus brief on Wednesday in support of Cook County, Illinois, which is defending its assault weapons ban in a Second Amendment challenge.
The brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, urges the court to uphold a March decision from the Northern District of Illinois that affirmed Cook County’s regulation of assault weapons as consistent with the Second Amendment.
“We can respect the Second Amendment while implementing commonsense firearms restrictions that promote public safety,” said Attorney General Platkin. He emphasized that assault weapons, designed for military use, were never intended for self-defense purposes.
Cook County has had assault weapons regulations in place since 1993, strengthening them in 2006 with the Blair Holt Assault Weapons Ban, named after a teenager killed in a shooting on a Chicago bus.
The amicus brief argues that Cook County’s law aligns with a long-standing tradition of firearm regulation and that assault weapons, such as AR-15 and AK-47-style rifles, do not qualify for Second Amendment protection due to their unsuitability for self-defense.
