Hogan Eases Limits On Handgun Carry, Wear Permits In Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD — In the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down limits on the right to carry a handgun, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday ordered authorities to disregard a section of state law similar to the language the court overturned.

The U.S. Supreme Court on June 23 overturned a New York law that limits people from carrying concealed handguns — a major victory for gun-rights advocates that some local and state leaders fear could cause firearms to flood the streets of urban areas.

The provision in New York law pertaining to handgun permits is virtually indistinguishable from Maryland law, Hogan said in a statement.

"In light of the ruling and to ensure compliance with the Constitution, I am directing the Maryland State Police to immediately suspend utilization of the ‘good and substantial reason’ standard when reviewing applications for wear and carry permits," the governor's statement said. "It would be unconstitutional to continue enforcing this provision in state law."

There is no effect on other permit requirements, Hogan's office said.

The 6-3 Supreme Court decision, with an opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas, ruled that the state's restrictions violate the Second Amendment. The ruling had been largely expected ever since the majority-conservative court heard arguments in November, with most justices appearing skeptical of the state's century-old law that forced anyone seeking to carry a gun outside their home to go through an extensive review process to prove they had some extra need to do so.

Some Marylanders commenting on Hogan's Twitter feed chastised the governor for easing the restriction one day after a mass shooting at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, saw a gunman with a rifle kill six people and injure dozens.

"Letting more people openly carry guns will only increase the number of gun-related deaths in Maryland and around the country. That's on you," tweeted Democrat Doug Ritchie, who said he had voted for Hogan.

But other commenters supported the move. A Twitter user with the handle JM wrote, "Thank you Gov Hogan for protecting Marylanders right to self-defense."

Last month's sweeping gun ruling "dramatically expands the scope of the Second Amendment," Slate Supreme Court writer Mark Joseph Stern tweeted. In it, Justice Thomas states broadly that the Second and 14th amendments "protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home."

A concurring opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh may limit the scope of the decision, however, saying that 43 states with modest restrictions on gun licenses can keep their laws in place.

The case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, was brought by the NRA. The city filed a brief last year urging the court to reject the plaintiffs' claims, and the state passed a number of new gun control laws earlier in June that raised the legal purchase age for semiautomatics, mandated micro-stamping on new weapons and empowered health care professionals to apply for extreme-risk protection.

Patch Editor Nick Garber contributed reporting to this story.