Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed with the court's decision to let the Maryland law stand, for now, but wrote separately to call the appeals court ruling "questionable." Kavanaugh said that he expects the high court to weigh in formally on the legality of the AR-15 in the "next term or two." ????? ???????  

"I would not wait to decide whether the government can ban the most popular rifle in America," Justice Thomas wrote. "The question is of critical importance to tens of millions of law-abiding AR-15 owners throughout the country." ????????????  

Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented from the decision, saying they would have taken up the case to decide the issue nationwide. Legal challenges to other state bans remain pending in lower courts. ?????  

The state legislation, enacted in 2013 after the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, specifically targets the AR-15 -- the most popular rifle in America with 20-30 million in circulation. They are legal in 41 of the 50 states. ????? ???????  

The decision, a major win for gun-safety advocates, leaves in place a ruling by the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals which ruled that the state may constitutionally prohibit sale and possession of the weapons. ????????????