Second Amendment Foundation Files Lawsuit Against Maryland Over Handgun Carry Restriction
Jose Nino
|
The Second Amendment Foundation recently filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Maryland Senate Bill 1’s constitutionality. SB 1 is a bill that Governor Wesley Moore signed, which has tacked on new restrictions on where lawful, licensed citizens can carry firearms for self-defense.
SAF is joined by Maryland Shall Issue, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and 3 private citizens, all of whom possess “wear and carry permits,” which includes Susan Burke of Reisterstown, Esther Rossberg of Baltimore, and Katherine Novotny of Aberdeen, for whom the lawsuit is named after. David H. Thompson and Peter A. Patterson at Cooper & Kirk in Washington, D.C., Mark W. Pennak at Maryland Shall Issue in Baltimore, and Matthew Larosiere from Lake Worth, Florida are the attorneys representing the plaintiffs. The lawsuit is titled Novotny v. Moore and was filed in US District Court for the District of Maryland.
The defendants in the lawsuit are Governor Moore, Harford County State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott D. Schellenberger, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates, Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith III, Maryland State Police Supt. Col. Roland L. Butler, Jr., Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld and Natural Resources Secretary Joshua Kurtzl.
“SB1 was enacted in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen last year,” declared SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb.
“Instead of trying to comply with the new guidelines set down in that decision, Maryland lawmakers scrambled to make gun laws more restrictive than they were before. Indeed, the additional restrictions make it nearly impossible to legally carry firearms for personal protection, even on public land. This is government regulation at its worst.”
“There is no well-established, representative historical analogue for the carry prohibitions included in SB1,” noted SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut, “which appears to be in direct conflict with the Supreme Court’s directive set forth in Bruen. The new law bans permitted carrying in facilities where alcohol is served, in health care facilities, and even in museums. These restrictions are facially unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, forcing us to take this action in court.”
The plaintiffs are looking for declaratory and equitable relief, in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs.
Maryland is a thoroughly anti-gun state as evidenced by its 44th place ranking in Guns & Ammo magazine’s best states for gun owners rankings. Truth be told, reforms coming from the state legislature are nothing but a pipe dream at this juncture. It’s going to take legal action and nullification to set things straight.
Share: