The latest comments from DOJ official Harmeet Dhillon are fueling major debate over the future of AR-15 bans and Second Amendment cases now sitting before the U.S. Supreme Court. With multiple high-profile gun rights cases scheduled for conference, many gun owners are hoping the Court will finally step in and strike down semi-automatic rifle bans nationwide.

In a recent interview, Dhillon suggested that the Supreme Court will “eventually” rule that AR-15s are protected under the Second Amendment because they are commonly owned by law-abiding Americans. Her comments come as the Trump DOJ continues filing aggressive lawsuits against states and cities over so-called assault weapon bans and magazine restrictions, including recent legal action against Denver and Colorado.

The DOJ argues that bans on AR-15 rifles and standard-capacity magazines directly conflict with the Supreme Court’s rulings in cases like District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. According to the administration, firearms and magazines commonly used for lawful purposes are constitutionally protected arms that cannot simply be banned by state governments.

However, while many supporters are optimistic, Dhillon’s remarks appear to reference the DOJ’s newer lawsuits rather than the current Supreme Court cases already pending. That means a final nationwide ruling on AR-15 bans could still take years unless the Supreme Court agrees to hear one of the existing cases soon.

With only a limited number of Supreme Court conferences remaining this term, attention is now focused on whether the justices will finally take up one of the major Second Amendment challenges involving AR-15s, magazine bans, or California’s Duncan v. Bonta case. Either way, the DOJ’s latest actions signal that the legal fight over semi-automatic rifle bans is far from over.