4th Circuit upholds Maryland’s ban on assault-style weapons

A federal appeals court upheld Maryland’s ban on assault-style weapons Tuesday in an opinion that found regulating “excessively dangerous weapons,” including the AR-15, compatible with the Second Amendment.

The judges of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 10-5 to affirm a lower court decision upholding the ban. The full 4th Circuit heard the case in March.

The Firearms Policy Coalition, an organization that helped bring the lawsuit over Maryland’s ban, vowed to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is the first time the justices have considered taking up a final decision in an assault weapons case since their consequential 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, according to the group.

“FPC will take the Fourth Circuit’s terrible decision to the Supreme Court without delay,” FPC President Brandon Combs said in the statement. “Our objective is simple: End all bans on so-called ‘assault weapons’ nationwide. And we look forward to doing just that.”