Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential the U.S. Supreme Court early Mon., Jun. 20, declined to hear a challenge to a Connecticut law that expanded the definition of banned assault weapons in that state. The court’s action likely dooms similar challenges to the SAFE Act in New York and statutes in several other states. Last October, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of the Connecticut law and the SAFE Act, both laws that passed in response to the 2012 killings in Newtown, Conn. The Second Circuit concluded the core provisions of the assault weapon bans in both states do not violate the Second Amendment. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.