BELLEVUE, WA – Attorneys representing the Second Amendment Foundation and its allies in a federal challenge to Maryland’s restrictive concealed carry statute today filed their response to the state’s arguments against an earlier motion for a preliminary injunction In the case known as Novotny v. moore.
The answer brief was filed in the US District Court for the District of Maryland.
SAF joins Maryland Shall Issue, Firearms Policy Coalition and three private citizens in the case, all of whom hold “carry and use permits”, including Susan Burke of Reisterstown, Esther Rossberg of Baltimore and Katherine Novotny of Aberdeen, for whom Name the lawsuit. They are represented by attorneys David H. Thompson and Peter A. Patterson of Cooper & Kirk in Washington, DC, Mark W. Pennak of Maryland Shall Issue in Baltimore, and Matthew Larosiere of Lake Worth, Florida.
The lawsuit focuses on SB1, a bill signed by Gov. Wesley Moore, which added new restrictions on where legally licensed citizens can carry firearms for personal protection. Maryland is attempting to vastly expand so-called “sensitive locations” in an attempt to virtually ban licensed and legal concealed carry in nearly every location in the state outside of someone’s home or business.
“As we argued in our initial lawsuit, the state of Maryland is desperately trying to justify its extremist policies by offering historical analogues that don’t really exist,” said SAF founder and executive vice president Alan M. Gottlieb. “As we noted earlier, rather than try to comply with the new guidelines laid out in the Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling last year, Maryland lawmakers responded by adopting more restrictive gun laws than before. This is tantrum-level stubbornness that is usually confined to elementary school playgrounds, and does not belong in state legislatures or governors’ offices.”
“Today’s report further highlights the fact that Maryland’s recently enacted carry restrictions are inconsistent with this nation’s history and tradition of firearms regulation,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “In defense of its law, Maryland clings to straws and reasoning well removed from a logical path to justify its new existence. Our brief systematically refutes the positions presented by the government and demonstrates that the challenged restrictions are constitutionally inadmissible.”