The Supreme Court rejected an appeal from gun owners to challenge a local assault-weapons ban

Reuters

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from gun owners who challenged a Chicago suburb's ban on assault weapons.

The justices on Monday refused to hear the case of a Highland Park, Illinois, pediatrician who objected to the city's 2013 ban on semi-automatic weapons and large-capacity magazines.

The federal appeals court in Chicago upheld the Highland Park law, ruling that local governments have leeway in deciding how to regulate firearms.

In October, the federal appeals court in New York largely upheld similar laws in Connecticut and New York, among a handful of states that ban semi-automatic weapons.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly turned away challenges to gun restrictions since two landmark decisions that spelled out the right to a handgun to defend one's own home.

NOW WATCH: The number of times Obama has had to respond to mass shootings during his presidency is staggering