Maryland Gun-Control Measures Upheld by Federal Judge

Maryland’s gun-control law -- enacted last year to ban 45 assault weapons and limit gun magazines to 10 bullets -- has been upheld by a federal judge.

Maryland lawmakers approved the measure, one of the strictest in the country, in response to the December 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 children and six educators.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake ruled Tuesday the law serves the government’s interest in protecting public safety without significantly burdening the core Second Amendment right of “law abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home,” reports the Associated Press.

Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley proposed the measure, which went into effect in October. The law also requires anyone buying a new handgun to submit their fingerprints for licensing.

The law has had one concrete reaction: After 40 years, Beretta will move its entire gun-manufacturing operation out of the state to Tennessee in reaction to Maryland’s increasingly restrictive gun laws.

Beretta has made guns for 40 years at its facilities in Accokeek, in Prince George’s County, but those manufacturing jobs will leave the state. WJLA TV reports Baretta hopes to open its new manufacturing plant in Gallatin, TN, by mid-2015.

About 160 workers are employed at Beretta’s Maryland manufacturing plant, reports The Baltimore Sun.

The court action was the latest move by gun-rights advocates after they failed to stop the General Assembly from passing the Firearms Safety Act, and then didn’t garner enough signatures to overturn the law by voter referendum, reports WJZ TV. The advocates argued in court last month that limiting access to certain rifles and large capacity magazines infringes on Second Amendment rights and does not help prevent crime.

Supporters said the law unfairly prevents the use of certain weapons for sporting or hunting.

“We’re NRA members and we just believe we should have the right to keep and bear arms and they’re trying to restrict,” Richard Brulinski told the TV station.

State Senator Brian Frosh helped write the gun law and says the state has a right to limit certain weapons in the interest of public safety.

“I’m sorry, but when you balance the results of Newtown against the right to use them for target practice, I think saving the lives of kids and teachers comes out a lot higher on most people’s lists of what’s important for society,” Frosh told WJZ.

Related story:

Beretta: Gun Laws Force Jobs to Move Out of Maryland