National Rifle Association Of America v. Magaw
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · No. 95-2150 · 132 F.3d 272
⚖️Procedural — no merits ruling
Standing and ripeness ruling only; the merits of the assault weapons ban were not decided.
GunMapUSA assessment of the outcome's direction, not a statement that the court decided rightly or wrongly.
What the court held
The NRA, firearms manufacturers, dealers, and individual gun owners brought a pre-enforcement challenge to the 1994 federal ban on semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, raising Commerce Clause, equal protection, and vagueness claims; the district court dismissed the entire suit for lack of standing and ripeness. The Sixth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part, treating each category of plaintiff separately and holding that the manufacturers and dealers alleged a concrete economic injury traceable to the statute sufficient to confer standing. The court did not reach the constitutionality of the ban.
Summarized from the court's opinion.
What this case is about
standing of firearm manufacturers, dealers, and owners to bring a pre-enforcement challenge to the federal assault weapons ban
GunMapUSA summary of the issue, not a quotation from the court.
Key Dates
- 1997-11-21 — Decided
Sources
- CourtListener — retrieved 2026-08-08
Summary of public court records. Not legal advice.