Supreme Court Won't Hear Appeal On Maryland Assault Weapons Ban

WASHINGTON, DC — In February a federal appeals court upheld Maryland's ban on assault weapons, overturning a lower court ruling that had ruled against it. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court is letting that appeals court ruling stand.

Maryland lawmakers approved the ban on semiautomatic, military-style guns after the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. A lower court initially found the ban violated the Second Amendment, but the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals contested that claim.

"Assault weapons and large-capacity magazines are not protected by the Second Amendment," the judges said.

The banned guns include those used in recent mass shootings at Texas church and at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas.

The justices denied an appeal from Maryland gun owners without comment on Monday. The high court has not re-entered the gun debate since rulings in 2008 and 2010 that said Americans have a constitutional right to have guns for self-defense in their homes and that local governments could not ban handguns.

The justices also declined an appeal asserting a constitutional right to carry firearms openly in public.

Photo credit: Jake Guild