NJ defends assault-weapons ban in federal appeals court
Attorneys representing New Jersey and gun-rights advocates met in a federal appeals court on Oct. 15 in a lawsuit seeking to end the state’s assault-weapons ban.
The arguments followed two other recent courtroom wins for New Jersey on gun restrictions.
On Oct. 14, a state Superior Court judge ruled that New Jersey could proceed with a lawsuit against Austrian gun manufacturer Glock. In a statement released on X.com, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said the company designs and sells firearms that can be “easily converted into illegal machine guns with a plastic component the size of a Lego.”
And on Sept. 10, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia upheld New Jersey’s ban on concealed carry in so-called “sensitive places,” including schools, houses of worship, parks, beaches, bars, libraries, daycare centers, hospitals and government buildings.
Return to court
The latest court matter on guns involves a lawsuit brought by New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate founder Mark Cheeseman. He won a partial victory in 2024, when U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan found the state’s ban on the AR-15 unconstitutional, though he let stand the high-capacity ammunition magazines law.
In August 2025, New Jersey sought to have the AR-15 ruling overturned, appearing before a three-jurist panel sitting on the Third Circuit appeals court. On Oct. 15, both sides returned to that court to make arguments before all 15 appellate judges.
At a press conference prior to arguments, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin stood outside the courthouse alongside four women who were wearing red shirts and holding signs reading, “Moms Demand Action,” the name of an anti-gun violence group.
“The other side is arguing that our legislature and our governors are powerless to protect our residents from these weapons of war – that they should have unfettered ability to carry these weapons of war with large-capacity magazines that are designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill as many people in as short a period of time as possible,” Platkin said.
Platkin, the defendant in the Cheeseman lawsuit, was represented in court by New Jersey Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum.
On its X account, the New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate wrote of the court proceedings: “Just a general point: the state’s argument is terribly illogical. Fundamental rights would be swiss cheese under the state’s understanding of things.”
‘Lowest level of shootings’
“For two years running, we have had the lowest level of shootings in New Jersey history,” Platkin said outside court. “And this year, we’re 25% below where we were last year. We’ve had fewer than 100 fatalities from firearms so far in our state this year.’
Platkin spoke of Mississippi’s having “six times the gun violence rate of New Jersey” citing that state’s looser gun laws.
“I ask the other side: Do they want to see our gun violence rate go up, double, triple, quadruple?” Platkin said. “I am confident we are going to prevail in this case.”
Editor’s note: Rebecca Wechter, an intern reporter for NJ State House News Service, is a College of New Jersey senior majoring in journalism and professional writing and minoring in pre-law and psychology.
