The US Supreme Court recently declined to hear a challenge against Maryland’s law prohibiting certain semi-automatic weapons such as the AR-15 rifle, effectively maintaining the state’s ban on so-called assault weapons for now. Litigation over the law is ongoing and could potentially be brought before the Supreme Court again in the future. This decision comes after the court’s ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen that there is a constitutional right to bear firearms in public for self-defense, with gun restrictions needing to be deeply rooted in US history if they are to withstand constitutional scrutiny. The Bruen decision has inspired challenges to gun laws across the country while also motivating several states to strengthen their existing gun restrictions.
Maryland’s 2013 law prohibits certain semi-automatic weapons, such as the AR-15 rifle used in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. The law was challenged in previous litigation and upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; however, after the Bruen ruling, another group of plaintiffs filed a new lawsuit, leading the Supreme Court to direct the circuit court to reexamine the issue. The circuit court has not yet issued its ruling despite considering the case for nearly two years.
The recent decision by the Supreme Court to refuse hearing the case leaves Maryland’s ban on so-called assault weapons in place for now, though it could still be challenged in the future. The court rarely grants petitions for certiorari before judgment and rejected a similar application in a New York City case. While the Supreme Court is currently deliberating two other gun rights-related cases, no further challenges against Maryland’s law have been brought to its attention as of yet.