The Supreme Court has decided not to review a legal challenge against Maryland’s ban on specific assault-style semi-automatic weapons. As a result, the law will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.
The court’s decision was not further explained, but it would have been uncommon for the justices to accept the case since the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals is still considering it. It is possible that the case may be brought before the justices again in the future.
Plaintiffs are arguing that the ban on semi-automatic weapons, such as AR-15s, goes against the Second Amendment. Maryland’s attorney general, on the other hand, is defending the ban by emphasizing that these guns are considered “highly dangerous, military-style weapons” that have been involved in numerous mass shootings.
The court has faced challenges to the law in the past, but the dynamics surrounding gun challenges have significantly shifted following the 2022 Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.
The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the ban in 2017. However, the justices have now ordered the lower court to revisit the case in 2022. Since then, there has been no further action from the Supreme Court on this matter. The plaintiffs are arguing that the Supreme Court should intervene because the lower court has taken an excessive amount of time to reach a decision.
The state contends that it is necessary for the lower court to have an opportunity to consider the matter before the Supreme Court becomes involved.