Supreme Court Decision on Highland Park's Gun Law On Hold

Gun rights and gun control advocates alike will have to wait a little longer to find out if the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge to a Highland Park firearms ban.

The high court is now expected to decide at the earliest on Monday if it will take the case, which involves gun owner who sued the North Shore community over its ban on semiautomatic "assault weapons" that carry more than 10 rounds.

A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 in favor of the city, citing a Supreme Court statement that local communities can restrict "dangerous and unusual weapons."

"Assault weapons with large-capacity magazines can fire more shots, faster, and thus can be more dangerous in aggregate," the appeals court's majority opinion read. "Why else are they the weapons of choice in mass shootings?"

Gun rights activists take issue with the contention that these types of weapons are unusual, calling some of the banned weapons, like the AR-15, among the most popular rifles in the country.

The case could have far-reaching implications on how far local communities can go to restrict gun ownership.