Pro-Gun Groups In Court Again Challenging Unconstitutional Maryland Gun Laws

Ruger AR-556 Modern Sporting Rifle
Ruger AR-556 Modern Sporting Rifle Banned in Maryland
National Shooting Sports Foundation
National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn –-(Ammoland.com)- NSSF, along with the NRA and other pro-Second Amendment parties, appeared before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals last week seeking to overturn Maryland’s ban on popular modern sporting rifles and standard capacity ammunition magazines.

The case, Kolbe v. Hogan, was argued before a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit and follows a ruling in the district court, which upheld the constitutionality of Maryland’s Firearm Safety Act of 2013.

Maryland contends there is no practical distinction between semi-automatic MSRs used by millions of law-abiding citizens and fully-automatic firearms used by the military, thus MSRs must be banned.

The court also heard argument from the state that magazines in excess of a 10-round capacity are not necessary for self-defense and fall outside the protections enunciated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Heller decision.

We expect the court to reach a decision later this year and will keep you updated.

Listen to audio of the arguments.

About NSSFThe National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.