A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down Maryland’s handgun licensing law, finding that its requirements, which include submitting fingerprints for a background check and taking a four-hour firearms safety course, are unconstitutionally restrictive.

In a 2-1 ruling, judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond said they considered the case in light of a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that “effected a sea change in Second Amendment law.”

The underlying lawsuit was filed in 2016 as a challenge to a Maryland law requiring people to obtain a special license before purchasing a handgun. The law, which was passed in 2013 in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, laid out a series of necessary steps for would-be gun purchasers: completing four hours of safety training that includes firing one live round, submitting fingerprints and passing a background check, being 21 and residing in Maryland.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said he was disappointed in the circuit court’s ruling and will “continue to fight for this law.” He said his administration is reviewing the ruling and considering its options.

  • PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    The second amendment also doesn’t create a well regulated militia.

    What use is a militia of morbidly obese men who can’t even demonstrate basic firearm safety, whose entire contribution is “have gun”?

    I don’t know why we’re suppose to politely play along with the hero fantasies of people who wouldn’t even wear masks in a pandemic but insist they’d lay down their lives to liberate people from the fascists that they enthusiastically voted for.