**Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to Maryland Semiautomatic Rifle Ban**

The Supreme Court has declined to hear a significant Second Amendment challenge against a Maryland law banning semiautomatic rifles, including the AR-15. The decision, announced on Monday, leaves the ban intact without providing any reasons, as is customary for the court.

This decision came despite objections from three of the court's conservative justices. The refusal to review the case signals the court's sporadic engagement with gun rights issues. Since it first recognized an individual right to own firearms in 2008, the Supreme Court has only ruled on three major Second Amendment cases.

In response, Justice Clarence Thomas voiced his dissent, critiquing the court for not addressing what he views as a critical issue. "I would not wait to decide whether the government can ban the most popular rifle in America," Thomas stated, emphasizing the importance of the case to millions of AR-15 owners nationwide. He criticized the court for avoiding this issue for the past decade.

The Maryland law in question was introduced in 2013, one year after the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. The legislation bans many semiautomatic rifles and limits gun magazines to 10 rounds. Justice Thomas argued that the court's failure to act compromises the Second Amendment, relegating it to a "second-class right" due to inadequate enforcement and vigilance.