Maryland
Maryland can’t enforce handgun licensing law
:format(url)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/T4QHICBZBBDDPNSKZRMUO4DVTE.jpg "Maryland can’t enforce handgun licensing law")
Maryland cannot enforce a law requiring people to obtain a license before they can buy a handgun, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday.
The state’s law requires people who want to buy a handgun to first complete steps such as submitting fingerprints for a background investigation and taking a firearms safety training course. Those are requirements for obtaining a handgun qualification license, or HQL.
In a 2-1 opinion, Circuit Judge Julius N. Richardson wrote that the law cannot stand under a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that a firearm regulation is unconstitutional unless the government can show it is consistent with the nation’s historical tradition.
“The challenged law restricts the ability of law-abiding adult citizens to possess handguns, and the state has not presented a historical analogue that justifies its restriction; indeed, it has seemingly admitted that it couldn’t find one,” Richardson wrote. “Under the Supreme Court’s new burden-shifting test for these claims, Maryland’s law thus fails, and we must enjoin its enforcement.”
Senior Judge Barbara Milano Keenan dissented from the court’s opinion.
Gun control advocates decried the court’s ruling.
Everytown Law, the legal arm of the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, immediately panned the ruling as “a dangerous and misguided decision.”
Much of the court’s rationale rested with a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court case known as the Bruen decision, which set a new standard for evaluating the Constitutionality of gun laws.
“Requiring handgun purchasers to pass a background check and undergo gun safety training prior to purchasing a gun is not only common sense, it is entirely consistent with the Second Amendment and the new test established by the Bruen decision,” William Taylor, a deputy director with Everytown Law, said in a statement.
Everytown expressed confidence that the 4th Circuit’s decision will be overturned.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more information.
dylan.segelbaum@thebaltimorebanner.com
Maryland
Fourth case of Bird Flu detected on Maryland farm after preliminary test, Department of Agriculture
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
What other coverage am I missing by not subscribing?
2025 Top Returning Defensive Players
Anne Arundel County – 1/20
Baltimore City I – 1/21
2025 Top Returning Offensive Players
Anne Arundel County
Baltimore City I
Top Players by Position in 2027
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Fullbacks
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Kickers
Punters
Offensive Centers
Offensive Guards
Offensive Linemen
Offensive Tackles
Defensive Ends
Defensive Linemen
Defensive Tackles
Inside Linebackers
Linebackers
Middle Linebackers
Outside Linebackers
Free Safeties
Safeties
Strong Safeties
Defensive Backs
Defensive Athletes
Offensive Athletes
Athletes
Database
Top Players by Position in 2026
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Fullbacks
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Kickers
Punters
Offensive Centers
Offensive Guards
Offensive Linemen
Offensive Tackles
Defensive Ends
Defensive Linemen
Defensive Tackles
Inside Linebackers
Linebackers
Middle Linebackers
Outside Linebackers
Free Safeties
Safeties
Strong Safeties
Defensive Backs
Defensive Athletes
Offensive Athletes
Athletes
Database
Top Players by Position in 2025
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Fullbacks
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Kickers
Punters
Offensive Centers
Offensive Guards
Offensive Linemen
Offensive Tackles
Defensive Ends
Defensive Linemen
Defensive Tackles
Inside Linebackers
Linebackers
Middle Linebackers
Outside Linebackers
Free Safeties
Safeties
Strong Safeties
Defensive Backs
Defensive Athletes
Offensive Athletes
Athletes
Database
2024 Full Conference Previews
Washington Catholic Capital
Washington Catholic Metro
Washington County
Western Maryland
Southern Maryland Chesapeake
Southern Maryland Potomac
Upper Chesapeake Bay Chesapeake
Upper Chesapeake Bay Susquehanna
Montgomery County 4A North
Montgomery County 4A West
Prince George’s County 2A/1A
Prince George’s County 4A/3A
MIAA A
MIAA B
MIAA C
Montgomery County 3A
Carroll County
Central Maryland
Howard County
Interstate
Baltimore County 2
Baltimore County 3
Bayside 1A
Bayside 3A/2A
Anne Arundel County
Baltimore City I
Baltimore City II
Baltimore County 1
2024 Early Conference Previews
Washington Catholic Capital
Washington Catholic Metro
Washington County
Western Maryland
Southern Maryland Chesapeake
Southern Maryland Potomac
Upper Chesapeake Bay Chesapeake
Upper Chesapeake Bay Susquehanna
Montgomery County 4A North
Montgomery County 4A West
Prince George’s County 2A/1A
Prince George’s County 4A/3A
MIAA A
MIAA B
MIAA C
Montgomery County 3A
Carroll County
Central Maryland
Howard County
Interstate
Baltimore County 2
Baltimore County 3
Bayside 1A
Bayside 3A/2A
Anne Arundel County
Baltimore City I
Baltimore City II
Baltimore County 1
2024 Top Returning Defensive Players
Montgomery County 4A North
Montgomery County 4A West
Prince George’s County 2A/1A
Prince George’s County 4A/3A
MIAA A
MIAA B
MIAA C
Montgomery County 3A
Southern Maryland Chesapeake
Southern Maryland Potomac
Upper Chesapeake Bay Chesapeake
Upper Chesapeake Bay Susquehanna
Baltimore County 2
Baltimore County 3
Bayside 1A
Bayside 3A/2A
Anne Arundel County
Baltimore City I
Baltimore City II
Baltimore County 1
Washington Catholic Capital
Washington Catholic Metro
Washington County
Western Maryland
2024 Top Returning Offensive Players
Montgomery County 4A North
Montgomery County 4A West
Prince George’s County 2A/1A
Prince George’s County 4A/3A
MIAA A
MIAA B
MIAA C
Montgomery County 3A
Carroll County
Central Maryland
Howard County
Interstate
Carroll County
Central Maryland
Howard County
Interstate
Southern Maryland Chesapeake
Southern Maryland Potomac
Upper Chesapeake Bay Chesapeake
Upper Chesapeake Bay Susquehanna
Baltimore County 2
Baltimore County 3
Bayside 1A
Bayside 3A/2A
Anne Arundel County
Baltimore City I
Baltimore City II
Baltimore County 1
Washington Catholic Capital
Washington Catholic Metro
Washington County
Western Maryland
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
New York City Seeks Jolt for Midtown With Plan to Build 10,000 Homes
Post offices impacted by wildfires reopen, relocate
Gannett to move Detroit News, Free Press printing operations from Sterling Heights
The top U.S. travel destination for 2025 is in the Bay Area: report
Nick Saban endorses Deion Sanders for Dallas Cowboys head coaching vacancy
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Judges Begin Freeing Jan. 6 Defendants After Trump’s Clemency Order
'Loud and clear': Border state's legislature moves to back Trump's ICE on deportations
EU focus on Mediterranean ignores Canary Island, claims president
Photos show historic snowfall across Houston area
A Heavy Favorite Emerges in the Race to Lead the Democratic Party
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23935558/acastro_STK103__01.jpg "Amazon Prime will shut down its clothing try-on program")
Technology1 week agoAmazon Prime will shut down its clothing try-on program
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25826211/lorealcellbioprint.jpg "L’Oréal’s new skincare gadget told me I should try retinol")
Technology1 week agoL’Oréal’s new skincare gadget told me I should try retinol
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25832751/2192581677.jpg "Super Bowl LIX will stream for free on Tubi")
Technology6 days agoSuper Bowl LIX will stream for free on Tubi
-
Business1 week agoWhy TikTok Users Are Downloading ‘Red Note,’ the Chinese App
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25835602/Switch_DonkeyKongCountryReturnsHD_scrn_19.png "Nintendo omits original Donkey Kong Country Returns team from the remaster’s credits")
Technology4 days agoNintendo omits original Donkey Kong Country Returns team from the remaster’s credits
-
Culture3 days agoAmerican men can’t win Olympic cross-country skiing medals — or can they?
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24774110/STK156_Instagram_threads_1.jpg "Meta is already working on Community Notes for Threads")
Technology1 week agoMeta is already working on Community Notes for Threads
-
Politics4 days agoU.S. Reveals Once-Secret Support for Ukraine’s Drone Industry