NAGR v. Lamont: Large-Capacity Magazine Ban Challenge

National Association for Gun Rights v. Lamont (NAGR v. Lamont) is a federal lawsuit challenging Connecticut's bans on both assault weapons (CGS 53-202a through 53-202c) and large-capacity magazines (CGS 53-202w) under the Second Amendment. The case was consolidated with Grant v. Rovella at the Second Circuit level and is now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court on a petition for certiorari.^[2]

October 14 Petition Status

The Supreme Court docket for NAGR v. Lamont, No. 25-421, records distribution for the June 29, 2026 conference. The docket checked on October 14, 2026 shows no grant or denial. NAGR Supreme Court docket

The Supreme Court granted the separate Grant petition on June 30, 2026 and consolidated it with the Viramontes case for briefing and oral argument, scheduled for December 2, 2026. That order does not grant the NAGR petition. Grant Supreme Court docket

Connecticut's Magazine Ban

Connecticut generally prohibits the sale, transfer, and possession of feeding devices capable of accepting, or readily restored or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds under CGS 53-202w, subject to statutory exceptions. The definition excludes permanently altered devices limited to 10 rounds, .22 caliber tube feeding devices, tubular magazines in lever-action firearms, and permanently inoperable magazines. Magazines lawfully possessed before or on April 4, 2013, may be retained if declared to DESPP under CGS 53-202x, which generally required declaration by January 1, 2014, or during the reopened period by January 1, 2024, and limits where and how declared magazines may be possessed. Except as permitted by CGS 53-202w and 53-202x, possession by a person ineligible to possess a firearm under state or federal law is a Class D felony. Possession outside those exceptions by a person who is not ineligible is a Class A misdemeanor (as amended by HB 6667 in 2023).^[1]

The Challenge

The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), joined by individual plaintiff Toni Theresa Spera Flanigan, argues that AR-15-style rifles and magazines with capacities exceeding 10 rounds are in common use, possessed by millions of law-abiding Americans for lawful purposes. Under the Supreme Court's Bruen framework, plaintiffs contend that these commonly owned items cannot be banned.^[2]

Second Circuit Decision

On August 22, 2025, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed denial of preliminary injunctions in an opinion covering both NAGR v. Lamont (No. 23-1162) and Grant v. Rovella (No. 23-1344). Judge John M. Walker's opinion found the bans consistent with the historical tradition of regulating "unusually dangerous" weapons, assuming that possession of the challenged firearms and magazines was presumptively protected by the Second Amendment.^[3]

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong praised the bans as lawful, lifesaving, and broadly supported.^[4]

Supreme Court Petition

On October 3, 2025, NAGR filed a petition for writ of certiorari (No. 25-421), asking the Supreme Court to decide whether bans on AR-15-style rifles and magazines with a capacity exceeding 10 rounds violate the Second Amendment.^[2] The petition frames the question as whether the Second Circuit's characterization of these items as "unusually dangerous" is consistent with the Bruen test for constitutionally protected arms.

Current Status

The March 2, 2026 distribution for the March 6 conference^[5] predates the June 30 grant in Grant v. Higgins. NAGR remains a separate petition with no grant or denial shown on its docket checked October 24, 2026. NAGR Supreme Court docket

Broader Context

The Supreme Court granted review in the consolidated Grant and Viramontes proceeding, with oral argument scheduled for December 2, 2026. The separate NAGR docket checked October 14, 2026 records no grant or denial. Consolidated docket NAGR docket

Status Update (April 2026)

The earlier conference distributions did not resolve the NAGR petition. Its docket checked October 14, 2026 ends with distribution for the June 29 conference and records no grant or denial. NAGR Supreme Court docket

Status Update (October 2026)

The NAGR petition, No. 25-421, has no grant or denial recorded on the docket checked October 14, 2026.^[6] Grant v. Higgins, No. 25-566, was granted June 30 and consolidated with Viramontes v. Cook County, No. 25-238, for argument on December 2, 2026. Grant Supreme Court docket