On Tuesday, Attorney General Anthony Brown issued the following statement regarding the Fourth Circuit’s decision to uphold Maryland’s 2013 assault weapon ban.
“The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit today upheld Maryland’s assault weapons ban in its decision in Bianchi v. Brown, a case involving a constitutional challenge to a Maryland law banning these weapons. Maryland’s ban on assault weapons was enacted in 2013 after a shooter used an assault weapon in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults.
The 10-5 decision comes after a challenge to Maryland’s Firearm Safety Act and a hearing before the full court of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit earlier this year. “The Court’s decision today will save lives,” explained Attorney General Brown. “Access to weapons of war that have no place in our communities causes senseless and preventable deaths. I commend the Court for its decision. We will continue to vigorously defend common-sense gun safety laws that protect Maryland residents.”