August 24th, 2024 by WCBC Radio

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld Maryland’s handgun licensing requirements, rejecting an argument from gun-rights activists that the law violated the Second Amendment by making it too difficult for people to obtain guns.

A majority of judges from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, affirmed a district court judge’s ruling in favor of the state of Maryland.

The majority rejected plaintiffs’ argument that the state’s handgun qualification statute tramples on applicants’ Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. The law requires most Maryland residents to obtain a handgun qualification license before purchasing a handgun.