Seventh Circuit Upholds Illinois AR-15 and Magazine Ban, Setting Up Supreme Court Fight

Last updated July 2026 · By Nick Hall, covers gun law and policy for USA Gun Shop

Quick take: On July 9, 2026, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld Illinois’ ban on AR-15-style rifles and standard-capacity magazines, the law known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA). The 2-1 ruling in Barnett v. Raoul reversed a district-court decision that had blocked the law from being enforced. The fight now moves toward the Supreme Court, which has already agreed to hear two related cases.

• What happened: The Seventh Circuit upheld Illinois’ PICA ban and reversed a lower court that had struck it down.
• Key detail: The 2-1 majority compared the ban to historical restrictions on Bowie knives.
• Who ruled: Judge Amy St. Eve wrote the opinion, joined by Judge Frank Easterbrook; Chief Judge Michael Brennan dissented.
• What’s next: The Supreme Court will hear two related cases, Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins.

What the Seventh Circuit decided

On July 9, 2026, the Seventh Circuit ruled 2-1 that PICA does not violate the Second Amendment. The decision came from a three-judge panel, which is the standard group that hears a federal appeal before the full court gets involved. The panel reversed a ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn, who had held the law unconstitutional after a four-day bench trial.

Judge McGlynn had issued an injunction, which is a court order that stops a law from being enforced while the case continues. The appeals court set that order aside and let PICA stand for now. The case is titled Barnett v. Raoul, with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul named as the defendant.

PICA restricts the sale of many semiautomatic rifles, including the AR-15, along with certain magazines. Shoppers who want to see which models remain widely available can review our guide to the best AR-15 rifles for context on the platform at the center of the case.

What PICA bans and what “standard capacity” means

PICA bans AR-15-style rifles and magazines that hold more than a set number of rounds. The magazine limit is the reason the term “standard capacity” comes up so often in these cases. Supporters of the law describe the magazines as “high-capacity,” while many gun owners, and the dissent in this case, call them “standard capacity” because they are the size that ships with the rifle from the factory.

The two labels describe the same 30-round magazines. The choice of words often signals where a person stands on the policy, so this article uses “standard capacity” only when quoting the court. The legal question is whether the Second Amendment protects the rifles and magazines that PICA covers.

The majority, the dissent, and the Bruen test

The panel split over how to apply the Supreme Court’s Bruen test. That test comes from the 2022 decision New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which says a modern gun law is valid only if it fits the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. In practice, courts look for older laws that are similar enough to justify the new one.

Writing for the majority, Judge St. Eve found that fit in 19th-century laws that restricted the Bowie knife, a large fighting knife that several states regulated. Judge Easterbrook joined her opinion. The majority concluded that Illinois could treat the banned rifles and magazines as a category that history allows a state to regulate.

Chief Judge Brennan disagreed. In his dissent he called the AR-15 the “best-selling rifle in America” and described the magazines as “standard capacity,” arguing that arms this common are exactly what the Second Amendment protects. He wrote that the Bowie knife comparison did not hold up because those old laws targeted weapons tied to crime rather than lawful defense.

What happens next

The dispute is now set up for a Supreme Court showdown. The losing side can ask the full Seventh Circuit to rehear the case, a step called an en banc review, in which all of the court’s active judges take part rather than a panel of three. Either way, the larger question about AR-15 bans is already on the Supreme Court’s calendar.

On June 30, 2026, the justices agreed to hear two related cases, Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins. Both are expected to be argued in the term that begins in October 2026, so a national ruling on these bans could arrive in 2027. The outcome will decide whether laws like PICA can stand across the country.

Buyers in states that already restrict these rifles often look for compliant options in the meantime. Our roundup of the best California-legal AR-15 rifles shows how manufacturers adjust designs to meet strict state rules, a pattern that could spread if the Supreme Court upholds bans like Illinois’.

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Related Reading

• The Best AR-15 Rifles (2026)
• Best California-Legal AR-15 Rifles (2026)