The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a petition for certiorari in a Maryland “assault weapons ban” case before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The case is Bianchi v Brown. It stems from a 2013 ban on what the Maryland legislature called “assault weapons.”
Dominic Bianchi is the primary plaintiff in the case and is joined by two pro-2nd Amendment groups, the Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition.
The FPC said in a statement in February that the 4th Circuit had sat on the case for too long. They argued that the three-judge panel that heard oral arguments had not even issued an opinion before the decision was made to push the case to the full circuit, delaying it even further.
That is when the plaintiffs in the case made the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case before the 4th Circuit made a decision.
In a statement posted on their website in February, the FPC said in part,
“After sitting on this case for over a year, the Fourth Circuit took the extraordinary step of pushing this case to the full Circuit without any party asking it to do so. Worse, the Circuit took this step after the case was already argued before a three-judge panel but before that panel could issue an opinion. This extraordinary action further delaying justice demonstrates that now–not later–is the time for the Supreme Court to step in.”
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However, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition from the plaintiffs. While the petition was denied, the Supreme Court can still take up the issue after the 4th Circuit has heard arguments and issued an opinion if the plaintiffs appeal if the case does not go their way.
The SAF said in a statement on its YouTube channel that the case is still “very much alive” and that it will have to wait for it to be settled in the 4th Circuit. The SAF also said another “assault weapons” case, out of the 7th Circuit, is also before the Supreme Court, and a decision on whether to hear that case is expected soon.
Joe Vogel, a Maryland State Delegate, praised the decision by the Supreme Court on X, saying,
“Big news today. Maryland’s assault weapons ban will not be challenged before the Supreme Court. This law saves lives — and should be the law of the land across the nation.”
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David Hogg, a gun control activist and co-founder of March For Our Lives, also praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision.
Do you believe the U.S. Supreme Court should have taken the case now, should wait until the case is settled in the 4th Circuit, or never take the case? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
