The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld Maryland’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” earlier this month, likely setting the stage for the next major Second Amendment showdown at the Supreme Court.
The case, Bianchi v. Brown, features Maryland residents who challenge the constitutionality of a 2013 state law that generally prohibits them from buying or possessing any firearm deemed an “assault weapon.” The statute defines that term to include hundreds of specific models of semiautomatic rifles, as well as any other semiautomatic rifle that either (1) has a fixed magazine capable of holding more than ten rounds, (2) has an overall length shorter than twenty-nine inches, or (3) has both a detachable magazine and at least two of the following three features: a folding stock, flash suppressor, or grenade or flare launcher.
While semiautomatic rifles…
