Supreme Court Leaves Felon, DUI, and Indictment Gun Bans Intact

On November 9, 2026, the Supreme Court turned away 22 gun rights cases in one batch of orders, leaving federal felon-in-possession law, a misdemeanor DUI gun ban, and a pre-conviction firearm restriction all standing without a hearing.

Snapshot

The denials touched challenges to lifetime firearm prohibitions tied to nonviolent felonies, Washington state's law disarming people after two misdemeanor DUIs, and a federal statute that blocks gun acquisition for anyone under indictment. Washington Gun Law President William Kirk covered the orders in a November 10 video, calling the pattern troubling for gun owners even as the Court prepares for a major semiautomatic rifle case in December.

Key points

• Felon bans untouched: Sixteen of the 22 denials involved 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) challenges, including Foster v. United States and Barge v. United States, both arguing nonviolent felony convictions shouldn't mean permanent disarmament.
• DUI gun ban stands: In Holloway v. Brown, the Court let Washington's law disarming people after two qualifying misdemeanor DUIs in seven years remain in force, with no felony conviction required.
• Pre-conviction restriction survives: Trevino v. United States challenged 18 U.S.C. § 922(n), which bars people under indictment, not yet convicted, from receiving firearms or ammunition across state lines. The Court declined to review it.
• Domestic violence misdemeanors: Minor v. United States questioned whether a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction alone, without a judicial dangerousness finding, can justify a lifetime gun ban. That petition was also denied.
• Bigger fights still pending: The justices hear arguments December 2 in Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins over semiautomatic rifle bans, with Maryland's public-carry restrictions in Novotny v. Moore up for conference November 13.

Quick take

A cert denial isn't a ruling on the merits, but for people living under these laws that distinction changes nothing. Kirk's larger worry, that misdemeanor-based disarmament could spread to other states, deserves attention regardless of where you land on the AR-15 cases coming in December.

Read the full story: ammoland.com