Attorneys representing the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners in a legal challenge against Maryland’s restrictive “sensitive places” gun control law have filed an appellants’ brief with the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The case, known as Novotny v. Moore, aims to contest Maryland’s extensive ban on concealed carry in various public spaces.
SAF is joined in this case by Maryland Shall Issue, Inc., the Firearms Policy Coalition, and three private citizens, including lead plaintiff Katherine Novotny. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson, Megan Marie Wold, and William V. Bergstrom of Cooper & Kirk, Washington, D.C., alongside Mark W. Pennack in Maryland.
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Maryland’s law restricts concealed carry in a broad range of locations, including museums, healthcare facilities, mass transit, state parks, entertainment venues, school grounds, and government buildings. SAF contends that such wide-reaching restrictions lack historical precedent, an argument central to the plaintiffs’ claim.
“We maintain in our brief that Maryland’s carry bans violate the Second Amendment,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The state has failed to meet its burden to affirmatively prove any of its restrictions are consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. We contend the district court erred when it upheld the carry bans.”
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“Maryland’s law essentially bans concealed carry virtually anywhere one might find people gathering for any legitimate purpose,” SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut noted. “The purpose of including all of these locations under the definition of ‘sensitive places’ is to essentially render the right of concealed carry to be meaningless. We’re asking the appeals court to remand the case back to the district court with instructions to enter a judgment for the plaintiffs.”
The plaintiffs argue that the sweeping ban infringes on constitutional rights, urging the appeals court to reconsider and protect the rights of lawful gun owners in Maryland.
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