The Supreme Court declined to review Maryland’s ban on so-called assault weapons Monday, letting stand a lower court ruling that upheld the law. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch dissented, pushing for the case to be heard.
The case stemmed from Maryland’s 2013 law enacted after the Sandy Hook shooting, which bans 45 specific semiautomatic rifles deemed “assault long guns” or their analogues. A federal appeals court upheld the law in 2023, ruling that such weapons fall outside the Second Amendment’s protections due to their similarity to military arms like the M-16.
The plaintiffs, including a gun dealer and Second Amendment groups, argued that commonly owned rifles like the AR-15 should be protected. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said widespread use doesn’t guarantee constitutional protection and found the ban consistent with historical firearms regulation.
Nine other states and Washington, D.C., have similar laws restricting semiautomatic weapons.
Sources
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CBS News – MBFC Rating
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