LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and a multistate coalition of 19 attorneys general announced the filing of an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in the case Viramontes, et al. v. The County of Cook, et al. The brief urges the Court to uphold the determination of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois that Cook County’s prohibition of the sale and possession of assault weapons is consistent with the Second Amendment.   

"Firearm sale and safety regulations save lives, and state and local governments all have a role to play in public safety," said Nessel. "I am proud to stand with my colleagues in supporting common-sense approaches to address this ongoing crisis."

The original lawsuit was filed in August 2021, when a group of pro-firearms activists challenged the legality of Cook County’s regulations on militaristic assault weapons. In March 2024, the District Court ruled in favor of Cook County, but the plaintiffs have now appealed that decision.   

The amici states’ brief argues that Cook County’s law properly promotes the safety and wellbeing of its residents, and that various Courts have concluded that reasonable gun regulations can comfortably coexist with the Second Amendment, as assault weapons are not commonly used for self-defense and, further, the ban on their sale and possession is consistent with the principles underpinning our nation’s history of firearms regulation.  

Since taking office in 2019, Nessel has been a vocal supporter of gun safety measures, including a federal ban on handgun sales to anyone under the age of 21, greater accountability for gun manufacturers, initiatives to rid the streets of untraceable ghost guns, common-sense regulations on the sale of firearms, and a prohibition on firearms in the Capitol and other state buildings.  

In September of last year, AG Nessel gave testimony before the Michigan Senate in favor of gun safety laws that would increase the number of background checks for gun purchasers, set safe storage standards, and introduce an Extreme Risk Protection Order procedure to prevent individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from possessing or owning a firearm for eight years following their conviction. That legislation was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in November of 2023. 

Joining Nessel in signing the brief, led by the attorneys general of Massachusetts and New Jersey, were the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.