Maryland State Police Will Continue Enforcing ‘Draconian’ Handgun Law Ruled Unconstitutional by Court

Defiant government leaders in Maryland have decided to disregard last week’s ruling by a federal court that ruled the state’s handgun law “draconian” and unconstitutional.

Choosing to adopt a very narrow interpretation of the court’s ruling, the Maryland State Police’s licensing division announced it will “continue enforcing the law until the federal court issues a mandate.”

Fox45 News reported that Maryland officials have 14 days to officially request a rehearing by the appeals court. If the state does not file a request, the court will issue a mandate seven days later. The final ruling on the matter could be Dec. 11.

Maryland’s Democratic governor and attorney general are reportedly weighing their options. Gov. Well Moore vowed to “continue to fight for this law.”

A spokesperson for Attorney General Anthony Brown told Fox45 News his office was “weighing options for next steps.”

RTM previously reported that on Nov. 21, a federal appeals court judge ruled that Maryland’s handgun license law violated the Second Amendment.

Democratic Maryland legislatures had passed a law requiring potential handgun orders to first secure a “handgun qualification license.” The law required a background investigation and a waiting period of up to 30 days.

Fox News reported the three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the “law is overly ‘burdensome’ and cannot stand under the 2022 landmark Supreme Court decision that a firearm regulation is unconstitutional unless the government can prove it is consistent with the nation’s historical tradition.”

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Maryland authorities posted: “At this time, the HQL law remains in effect and there are no immediate changes in the process to purchase a firearm in Maryland.”

Judge Julius Richardson wrote the court’s majority opinion and stated, “The state has not presented a historical analog that justifies its restriction; indeed, it has seemingly admitted that it couldn’t find one.”

The NRA hailed the court’s decision, and described Maryland’s handgun law as “draconian.” Randy Kozuch, the NRA’s lobbying arm executive director, told Fox News the ruling represented a “significant victory, for the Second Amendment and Americans who value constitutional freedoms.”

“Striking down Maryland’s oppressive Handgun Qualification License requirement affirms that the burdensome process infringes on the rights of the law-abiding,” added Randy Kozuch.

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