Two leading Second Amendment groups have asked the Supreme Court to hear a case challenging Maryland’s strict 2013 assault weapons ban after a lower court ruled the ban constitutional.
The Firearms Policy Coalition has filed a petition with the Supreme Court Snope vs Brown – or Bianchi vs Frosch The Richmond, Virginia-based Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in a 10-5 decision earlier this month.
The decision, written by Judge J. Harvey Wilkinson III, a Reagan appointee, said the Old Line State’s ban on certain semi-automatic rifles and handguns “fits well into our nation’s tradition of firearms regulation.” Two Baltimore County residents and one Anne Arundel County resident First to file a lawsuit They will face Maryland in 2021.
The California-based Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and the Washington-based Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) have filed a petition for certiorari asking the Supreme Court to override the Fourth Circuit decision.
SAF founder Alan Gottlieb said the appeals court is trying to “upend” the landmark Heller decision, which struck down gun laws in the District of Columbia.
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A semi-automatic rifle, currently banned for sale in Illinois, is displayed at Freddie Bear Sports in Tinley Park, Illinois on January 11, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“They essentially argue that the Second Amendment limits weapons protection to only certain state-licensed firearms, making firearms a government-regulated privilege rather than a right,” Gottlieb said in a statement.
“This is the third time we’ve petitioned the high court on this matter,” Gottlieb added.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, FPC Chairman Brandon Combs argued that the case was “an ideal vehicle for the Supreme Court to resolve this vital issue.”
Combs said AR-15s and other similar weapons that are banned in Maryland are extremely commonly owned elsewhere.
“There is no basis for the Fourth Circuit to conclude that the most widely owned semi-automatic rifle in the United States is not a weapon protected by the Second Amendment,” he said.
“The Supreme Court needs to provide more detailed guidance on which weapons the Second Amendment covers, and it should do so in this case. This immoral and violent gun control regime must end here.” Supporters also pointed to the recent Bruen decision that overturned New York’s open carry ban.
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In his majority decision, Judge Wilkinson argued that AR-15s, Barrett 50-caliber and other “gang-style” guns are not protected by the Constitution because of their “highly dangerous” nature. According to Maryland Matters.
He then listed mass shootings that had taken place in Blacksburg, Virginia; Las Vegas, Nevada; Parkland, Florida; Thousand Oaks, California, and about a dozen other cities.
Meanwhile, Justice Julius Richardson, a Trump appointee, dissented, arguing that “the Second Amendment is not a second-class right subject to the whims of federal judges.”
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Brown’s predecessor, Brian Frosh (D), was previously named as a defendant. Brown’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, photographed while he was serving as lieutenant governor. (Getty)
Fox News Digital also reached out to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). Taking the lead He issued the ban while serving as a state senator at the time.
The Takoma Park lawmaker is listed as the bill’s primary sponsor, and Frosh, who was a state senator from Potomac at the time, is listed as one of the co-sponsors.
The legislation designates “certain firearms” as “assault weapons,” mandates a ban on the sale, transfer and purchase of such weapons, and requires the Annapolis Commission to develop a list of prohibited weapons.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Maryland Governor Wes Moore for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
