Federal judge rules against some provisions in Maryland gun control law

A Maryland federal judge ruled Friday that the state’s provisions banning firearm possession in certain private and public areas be limited, pending further consideration of its legality.

Maryland passed sweeping gun control legislation in May which banned the carrying of guns in many places — including in businesses where alcohol is sold, on private property without the owner’s consent and at public gatherings. 

Judge George Russell III ruled that those provisions should be halted, siding with gun rights supporters. The law is scheduled to go into effect Sunday.

The National Rifle Association brought the suit alongside other firearms advocates shortly after the law was signed.

The judge leaned on the Supreme Court’s decision last summer to limit New York gun control legislation, arguing that Maryland did not have a proper historical basis to limit possession in those circumstances.

Russell, however, denied plaintiffs’ attempts to halt other sections of the law, including firearm bans in museums, parks, healthcare facilities, schools and in government buildings.

Those locations are considered “sensitive places,” following the New York ruling, and firearms can be regulated there, Russell said.

The Supreme Court’s New York decision had a massive impact on gun control legislation nationwide. In Maryland, the ruling effectively gutted the state’s restrictions who could purchase or own firearms, leading to a significant increase in the number of people receiving gun permits.

The NRA celebrated the decision Friday.

“While the NRA is pleased with the partial win, we will be continuing our challenges to the other so-called sensitive places that the court declined to enjoin,” Randy Kozuch, executive director of the NRA-ILA, the association’s political action group, said in a statement to The Washington Post.