A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld Maryland’s handgun licensing requirements, affirming the law’s validity even after a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision expanded gun rights. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia, voted 14-2 to reverse a prior panel’s decision that had found the 2013 law unconstitutional. The Maryland law, part of the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, requires most residents to obtain a license, complete safety training, and undergo background checks before purchasing a handgun. This measure was enacted following the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The full 4th Circuit reconsidered the law’s constitutionality after a 2-1 panel previously sided with gun rights advocates, arguing the law violated the Second Amendment’s “right to keep and bear arms.” However, U.S. Circuit Judge Barbara Milano Keenan, in the majority opinion, pointed to a footnote in the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that indicated licensing regimes like Maryland’s are presumptively constitutional. Keenan noted that although the process may cause some delays, such laws are intended to ensure that individuals seeking to exercise their Second Amendment rights are “law-abiding” citizens. The National Rifle Association, which supported the lawsuit, has not yet responded to the ruling.
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