Federal Court Upholds Maryland’s Ban on ‘Assault Weapons’

A federal appeals court has left intact Maryland’s ban on so-called assault weapons, including AR-15s. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled on Aug. 6 that the ban, which also covers AK-47s and Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifles, does not violate Marylanders’ rights. The ban was enacted in 2013. Some Maryland residents and gun rights groups sued Maryland in 2020, asserting the laws violate their right to possess guns as enumerated by the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment. “The state of Maryland’s laws, regulations, policies, practices, and customs individually and collectively deny millions of individuals who reside in Maryland, including plaintiffs, their members and supporters, and others like them, their fundamental, individual right to keep and bear common arms,” they said in the lawsuit....