Maryland Shall Issue Challenges Montgomery County's Revised Gun Ordinance
Maryland Shall Issue and five individual permit holders are suing Montgomery County over a revised firearms ordinance the county enacted after the state's highest court ordered changes. The organization argues the rewritten ban still unconstitutionally restricts Second Amendment rights despite modifications. The lawsuit targets the county's attempt to enforce restrictions that courts have already signaled exceed constitutional limits.
Key Details
- Maryland Shall Issue filed the challenge alongside five permit holders
- Montgomery County rewrote its firearms ordinance following a state court directive to revise the original version
- The county's revised ban remains substantially restrictive despite being ordered to comply with constitutional standards
- The lawsuit targets the ordinance as currently written and enforced
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
This case directly affects anyone holding a Maryland permit in Montgomery County—one of the state's most restrictive jurisdictions. The county's pattern of writing bans, watching courts reject them, then rewriting nearly identical restrictions shows a deliberate strategy to outlast legal challenges through attrition. Gun owners face ongoing uncertainty about which firearms remain legal to possess or carry in the county. If the revised ordinance stands, it sets a dangerous precedent: states can cycle through minor rewrites of struck-down laws while keeping the core restrictions intact, effectively defying higher court rulings. For Maryland residents planning to carry or own firearms, this case determines whether those rights survive local government obstruction.
DownRange Analysis
Courts since New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen have consistently struck down vague, overly broad firearm restrictions. Montgomery County's choice to revise rather than genuinely comply signals contempt for judicial authority. The real test: does the revised ordinance contain the same unconstitutional language and scope, or did the county actually narrow its restrictions? If it's a cosmetic rewrite, the suit has strong footing under existing precedent. Gun owners should watch this case closely—if Montgomery County wins despite prior rulings, expect other hostile jurisdictions to adopt the same strategy of endless minor revisions to circumvent court orders.
