A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld a Maryland law banning assault-style weapons, ruling that the law does not violate the Second Amendment.
The case was brought by the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens' Right to Keep and Bear Arms Committee and several Marylanders. challenging The state's ban on “military-style assault weapons” prohibits the sale and possession of AR-15s, AK-47s and Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifles, among other weapons. The ban was put into place after the 2013 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Connecticut, which killed 20 children and six adults.
“The assault weapons at issue are essentially military-type weapons designed for sustained combat operations and are inappropriate and disproportionate to the needs of self-defense, and therefore fall outside the protections provided by the Second Amendment,” Judge J. Harvey Wilkinson wrote in his ruling. “Moreover, Maryland's law fits neatly into our nation's tradition of firearms regulation. It is but one example of a state restricting excessively dangerous weapons once they become demonstrably incompatible with a lawful and safe society, while still preserving the means for armed self-defense.”
Gun enthusiasts participate in the annual Machine Gun Shoot hosted by Shooter's Gauntlet and guns are on display at the event in Monroe, Pennsylvania, on June 3, 2023. (Photo by Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
Brandon Combs, president of the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), said: statement The group has decided to file a lawsuit in the Supreme Court.
“The FPC will take the Fourth Circuit's egregious decision to the Supreme Court without delay. Our goal is simple: to end all so-called 'assault weapons' bans across the nation, and we look forward to doing just that,” Combs wrote.
The plaintiffs filed suit with the Supreme Court in May, arguing that the lower courts had acted too slowly, but the Supreme Court dismissed the case at the time after Maryland officials argued that the appeals court should rule first. according to To the Associated Press. (Related article: Tim Walz once received an “A” rating from the NRA, then shot left)
Five justices dissented, with one justice in dissent arguing that the ban violated the Second Amendment and criticizing the court majority for making an “arbitrary choice.”[ing]” To set a false precedent for historic regulations.
“The Second Amendment is not a second-class right subject to the whims of federal judges,” Circuit Judge Julius Richardson wrote in a dissenting opinion. “Its mandate is absolute and, as applied here, unequivocal.”
The court's decision was upheld by an additional bench of eight judges.
The Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens' Right to Keep and Bear Arms and the Maryland Attorney General did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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