Supreme Court Rejects Challenges to Gun Laws in Delaware and Maryland
On January 13, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down legal challenges to state gun laws in Delaware and Maryland. The decision keeps existing gun restrictions in place.
Delaware’s ban on assault-style rifles and Maryland’s tough handgun permit requirements will stay. Gun rights supporters who tried to overturn these laws claimed they violated constitutional rights, but failed to convince the court.
Back in 2022, Delaware stopped sales of AR-15s, AK-47s, and similar weapons. People who owned these guns before the law took effect can keep them – with certain conditions.
To get a handgun in Maryland? You need safety training, fingerprints, and a clean background check. Leaders put these requirements in place after the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy in 2012. The rules remain, despite strong pushback.
Maryland’s law went through a complicated legal battle. Initially, judges struck it down, citing a 2022 Supreme Court ruling supporting gun rights. But the appeals court later stepped in, finding these rules matched historical gun regulations.
Gun advocates criticized Maryland’s system as too restrictive for buyers. State officials defended it, saying these measures protect public safety.
By passing on these cases, the Supreme Court adds another chapter to America’s ongoing gun debate. States have faced numerous lawsuits since 2022, when the court made restricting guns more difficult.
With six conservatives and three liberals serving, this court heavily influences gun rights. Yet this time, they allowed two very different state approaches to gun control to continue.
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