In a 10-4 ruling, Maryland’s Fourth Circuit ruled that there could be a ban put on 45 common weapons and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Judge Robert B. King stated, “We have no power to extend Second Amendment protection to the weapons of war…”
Via Baltimore Sun: The law, which also outlawed magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, was challenged by two men who said they wanted to buy the banned rifles and by a handful of gun stores and associations. They argued that the rifles were popular among gun enthusiasts, used by people to defend their homes and not inherently dangerous. A federal judge in Baltimore disagreed, upholding the law.
Maryland, New York, and Connecticut all banned a plethora of semi-automatic rifles that had exterior features that made them look scary following the Sandy Hook shooting. They also banned magazines with 10 rounds or more and some states even enforced a registration of those who already owned such firearms.
Judge William Traxler, in a rare display of intellectual honesty, laid out the consequences of this case: “Today the majority holds that the Government can take semi-automatic rifles away from law-abiding American citizens. In South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland, the Government can now tell you that you cannot hunt with these rifles. The Government can tell you that you cannot shoot at targets with them. And, most importantly, the Government can tell you that you cannot use them to defend yourself and your family in your home. In concluding that the Second Amendment does not even apply, the majority has gone to greater lengths than any other court to eviscerate the constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms.”
What this demonstrates to us, as average citizens, is that nothing is sacred to judges who think they can legislate from the bench. Even constitutional rights and rulings from higher courts will not bind a judge who wants to rally around their own pet cause.
“We believe that the Second Amendment means what it says — and we all need to stand together and take decisive action to protect liberty RIGHT NOW before anti-gun activist judges kill off our rights through rulings like this one. – Firearms Policy Collation
(Sources: Baltimore Sun, Conservative Review)
