The National Rifle Association (NRA) last week said it is supporting a legal challenge to Maryland’s state restrictions on carrying a handgun. The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
“Denying the majority of law-abiding citizens the right to carry a firearm outside of the home is unconstitutional,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “The government cannot require citizens to prove a special need in order to exercise their fundamental rights.”
Brian Kirk Malpasso and Maryland State Rifle and Pistol Association v. William M. Pallozzi challenges the state requirement that a citizen show “good and substantial” reason to carry concealed when they apply for a permit. “Good and substantial” has been taken to mean that a person must show that they are under imminent threat in order to carry.
The restriction runs counter to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Heller case, wherein the court ruled that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms for self-defense.
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