A federal appeals court ruled today that New Jersey’s assault-weapons ​law barring possession of semiautomatic rifles like AR-15s and large ‌capacity magazines containing more than 10 rounds of ammunition is unconstitutional.

Today’s ruling follows a lawsuit filed by ​gun rights groups that said New Jersey’s law could no longer stand after ‌the ⁠Supreme Court handed down a landmark Second Amendment ruling in 2022 that expanded gun rights.

In their decision, the majority held that the AR-15 and other semi-automatic rifles in the AWB are in common use for lawful purposes, which means they cannot, in the court’s view, be “dangerous and unusual.”

The litigation over New Jersey’s law has stretched nearly four years and has produced a series of conflicting rulings. Federal district courts initially blocked enforcement of several provisions before the Third Circuit allowed much of the law to take effect while the appeal proceeds.

In a statement, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport described the ruling as “legally incorrect” and says the state is “considering our options.”

“Today’s decision from the Third Circuit invalidating New Jersey’s careful laws restricting the AR-15 and large capaour optcity magazines is as unfortunate as it is legally incorrect,” she said.

Every other federal circuit court to consider the issue has come out the other way. Assault weapons and large capacity magazines play a dangerous role in the modern epidemic of mass shootings, and New Jersey acted reasonably and lawfully in restricting them. We are considering our options. We remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to enforce our other firearms laws and treating gun violence like the public health crisis that it is.”

Asked by TLS in November, 2022 whether he thought the bill would stand up in court, then New Jersey Governor Murphy said he was confident the revised bill would stand up to any potential legal challenges.

“I hope so. I normally wouldn’t talk about bills that are not on our desk, but this one is important to all of us,” he said at the time.

“We are very concerned about the Supreme Court’s steps initially, and th

This is a developing story and will be updated