BALTIMORE – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following statement after the Supreme Court of the United States today declined to hear a challenge of Maryland’s law requiring most residents to obtain a license before purchasing a handgun.
In Maryland, most applicants for handgun qualification licenses are required to submit fingerprints, undergo a background check, and complete a training course, among other requirements. Maryland’s Handgun Qualification Licensing law was enacted in 2013 after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012 that resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults.
On August 23, 2024, in a 14-2 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Maryland Shall Issue v. Wes Moore rejected a Second Amendment challenge to a state law requiring a Handgun Qualification License (or HQL) to purchase a handgun. The plaintiffs in that case appealed the decision to the highest court of the land, which today declined to hear the case.
“This is great news for Maryland and common-sense gun laws. This law helps prevent tragedies and keeps families safe, by keeping guns away from those who want to harm our communities,” said Attorney General Brown. “Thoughts and prayers are not enough—Maryland’s Handgun Qualification Licensing Law is a key tool in our fight to end gun violence.”
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