The Supreme Court just hit the snooze button—again—on Duncan v. Bonta, the decade-long saga challenging California’s draconian large-capacity magazine ban. For those keeping score, this is the latest relisting, a procedural punt that keeps the case in limbo while the justices mull over their post-Bruen strategy. It’s like watching a high-stakes poker game where SCOTUS is folding every hand, signaling to lower courts and gun-grabbers alike that they’re not ready to go all-in on expanding Second Amendment protections just yet. The source text nails it: this ping-ponging through the courts underscores a cautious bench, wary of flooding their docket with every state-level infringement after Bruen’s 2022 bombshell demanded text, history, and tradition as the litmus test for gun laws.
Dig deeper, and this isn’t just bureaucratic foot-dragging—it’s a masterclass in judicial chess. Remember, Duncan originated from the 2013 SAFE Act fallout, survived Heller and McDonald, got gutted by the Ninth Circuit’s en banc reversal, and now teases the edge of vindication. California’s ban on mags over 10 rounds fails Bruen spectacularly: no Founding-era analog exists for limiting ammunition capacity, and historical surveys (like those from the Firearms Policy Coalition) show early Americans packed 30-round horn pouches without batting an eye. Yet SCOTUS’s repeated relists—mirroring their ducking of Rahimi remands and other Bruen sequels—suggest internal divisions, perhaps Roberts playing referee to prevent a conservative overreach that could invite backlash. Implications? It’s a green light for blue states to keep banning until the High Court drops a definitive framework, leaving 2A warriors in legal purgatory.
For the pro-2A community, this is rally cry material: time to double down on amicus briefs, state-level nullification pushes, and voter turnout to flip Ninth Circuit seats. Punts like this bought California time post-Bruen, but momentum builds—Antonyuk in New York and Bianchi in Maryland are cracking under similar scrutiny. Stay vigilant; the next conference could flip the script, but don’t hold your breath. In the meantime, stock those compliant mags and keep training—because self-defense doesn’t wait for nine robes to agree.
