The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of SB1, a bill signed by Gov. Wesley Moore, which has added new restrictions on where legally-licensed citizens may carry firearms for personal protection.
Joining SAF are Maryland Shall Issue, the Firearms Policy Coalition and three private citizens, all of whom possess “wear and carry permits,” including Susan Burke of Reisterstown, Esther Rossberg of Baltimore, and Katherine Novotny of Aberdeen, for whom the lawsuit is named.
They are represented by attorneys David H. Thompson and Peter A. Patterson at Cooper & Kirk in Washington, D.C., Mark W. Pennak at Maryland Shall Issue in Baltimore, and Matthew Larosiere from Lake Worth, Fla. The lawsuit is known as Novotny v. Moore. It was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
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Named as defendants are Gov. Moore, Harford County State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott D. Schellenberger, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates, Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith III, Maryland State Police Supt. Col. Roland L. Butler, Jr., Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld and Natural Resources Secretary Joshua Kurtz, in their official capacities.
“SB1 was enacted in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen last year,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Instead of trying to comply with the new guidelines set down in that decision, Maryland lawmakers scrambled to make gun laws more restrictive than they were before. Indeed, the additional restrictions make it nearly impossible to legally carry firearms for personal protection, even on public land. This is government regulation at its worst.”
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“There is no well-established, representative historical analogue for the carry prohibitions included in SB1,” added SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut, “which appears to be in direct conflict with the Supreme Court’s directive set forth in Bruen. The new law bans permitted carrying in facilities where alcohol is served, in health care facilities, and even in museums. These restrictions are facially unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, forcing us to take this action in court.”
Plaintiffs are seeking declaratory and equitable relief, plus attorneys’ fees and costs.
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