The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear a challenge to Maryland’s 2013 ban on assault weapons after considering the case in the last fifteen conferences, effectively leaving the law in place for the time being.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that, once again, they will not take up a case, Snope v. Brown, challenging a Maryland law prohibiting the sale of certain semi-automatic firearms, such as the AR-15, and limits magazine capacities to 10 rounds. According to the U.S. Supreme Court blog the denial has been made fifteen consecutive times in as many court conferences over the last five months.

The Maryland law in question was enacted following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Gun rights advocates argue that the law infringes upon Second Amendment rights, especially after a 2022 Supreme Court decision that expanded gun rights with New York State Police & Rifle Association vs. Bruen. Maryland officials, including Attorney General Anthony Brown defend the law, citing the weapons’ use in mass shootings and their characterization as “highly dangerous, military-style” arms. Attorney General Brown and Assistant Attorney General Ryan R. Dietrich authored the brief in opposition to the petition.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law earlier this year, and the Supreme Court’s decision not to review the case leaves that ruling intact. The Supreme Court’s decision does not, however, resolve the broader constitutional questions surrounding assault weapon bans that exist in ten states and the District of Columbia. The Court’s conservative justices, including Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch, dissented, expressing concerns that the law may infringe upon Second Amendment rights, while Justice Kavanaugh expressed a belief that the Court would address the issue soon.