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Federal Judge Upholds Maryland Handgun Licensing Scheme

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Federal Judge Upholds Maryland Handgun Licensing Scheme

On Thursday, a federal judge upheld a Maryland law requiring anyone seeking to obtain a handgun to first acquire a Handgun Qualification License. This process requires Marylanders to do far more than pass a background check: before exercising their Constitutional right to self-defense, applicants must first pay potentially hundreds of dollars in fees, overcome all sorts of red tape, attend mandatory training, all while waiting up to 30 days. This is on top of another seven-business-day waiting period and background check when acquiring a handgun, and the NICS check that must be completed when the firearm is transferred. 

This decision follows the previous dismissal and reinstatement of the case by the Fourth Circuit. Gun owners should note the court’s admission that “[Maryland’s handgun requirements], undoubtedly burden this core Second Amendment right…and ‘make it considerably more difficult for a person lawfully to acquire and keep a firearm.’” Despite these difficult burdens and “‘conflicting views’” of the data used to justify this law, the court applied a weak version of intermediate scrutiny to uphold the law.

This decision came in the shadow of the pending Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which will be argued on November 3rd. This NRA-ILA-backed case challenges New York’s restrictive concealed-carry-licensing regime, and will give the Supreme Court the opportunity to affirm the individual right to bear arms outside of the home and, hopefully, to provide clarity to the lower courts how to address Second Amendment challenges moving forward.

While this decision is frustrating, NRA-ILA remains dedicated to protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens everywhere. NRA-ILA will examine this decision in the days to come and will determine the best method to pursue that goal.

The case is captioned Maryland Shall Issue v. Hogan.

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend your constitutional rights.

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Biden’s Executive Order Targeting Gun Ownership

News  

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Biden’s Executive Order Targeting Gun Ownership

On Tuesday, Joe Biden issued an executive order on gun control that could accurately be described as a mile wide and an inch deep.

Columnist thinks gun owners can be shamed out of their rights

News  

Monday, March 20, 2023

Columnist thinks gun owners can be shamed out of their rights

At least one of the joyless scolds that predominate in gun control circles thinks they’ve stumbled onto a novel anti-gun tactic. According to Colorado Newsline Editor Quentin Young, gun control supporters should try to shame gun ...

Updates to ATF Final Rule on Stabilizing Braces

News  

Monday, January 30, 2023

Updates to ATF Final Rule on Stabilizing Braces

On Monday, January 30, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) published the final Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached “Stabilizing Braces” rule for public inspection in the federal register.

U.S. Taxpayers Funding “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation Orders

News  

Monday, March 20, 2023

U.S. Taxpayers Funding “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation Orders

Texans are paying for so-called “Red Flag” gun confiscation orders in New York. North Carolinians are bankrolling Extreme Risk Protective Orders (ERPOs) in New Jersey. Louisianans are footing the bill for gun confiscation orders in Maryland.

Washington: Senate Committee Hearing California-Style Gun Ban & Waiting Period Bills

Friday, March 17, 2023

Washington: Senate Committee Hearing California-Style Gun Ban & Waiting Period Bills

On March 23rd, at 8:00AM, the Senate Committee on Law & Justice will hear House Bill 1240, a comprehensive gun ban bill, and House Bill 1143, to impose a waiting period and training mandate for acquiring ...

Florida: Senate’s Constitutional Carry Passes Committee

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Florida: Senate’s Constitutional Carry Passes Committee

Today, the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee voted 11-6 to approve Senate Bill 150, constitutional carry, with an amendment aligning the language with the House’s version. It will now go to the full Senate for further consideration.

Michigan: Senate Passes Gun Control Schemes

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Michigan: Senate Passes Gun Control Schemes

Today, the Senate passed anti-gun bill packages to criminalize private transfers, require firearms be made unavailable for self-defense, and allow Second Amendment rights to be suspended without due process. They will now move to the House for further ...

The New Mexico Legislature Finishes Its 2023 Regular Session

Sunday, March 19, 2023

The New Mexico Legislature Finishes Its 2023 Regular Session

The New Mexico Legislature wrapped up at noon on Saturday, March 18.  Below is a list of gun control bills which passed and extreme anti-gun legislation which NRA-ILA worked to defeat with pro-Second Amendment lawmakers, members of the firearms ...

Washington: Updates on Anti-Gun Bills

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Washington: Updates on Anti-Gun Bills

Three major anti-gun bills still remain active in the Legislature, while others are likely defeated for the session. The NRA provided testimony and strong, united opposition to these bills throughout the legislative process thus far.

Florida: House Judiciary Passes Constitutional Carry

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Florida: House Judiciary Passes Constitutional Carry

Today, the House Judiciary Committee voted 17-6 to advance House Bill 543, the constitutional carry bill. It will now go to the House floor for debate.

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.