But on Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals struck down the state’s Handgun Qualification License (HQL) as blatantly unconstitutional.
How sweeping were the requirements for owning these weapons?
To obtain an HQL, a Maryland resident was required to take a four-hour class. This included classroom training and live-fire exercises at a cost of several hundred dollars. The applicant then had to pay for a background check that included submitting a complete set of fingerprints.
And the wait was up to 30 days for Maryland to process the application.
If approved, the person still was not legally able to purchase a handgun. They then had to submit to an additional background check and another wait of seven business days. Only now could they complete the transaction, and at that point the NICS check had to be performed.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) filed suit against the state law in 2016 only to see the case dismissed. However, it was reinstated by the Fourth Circuit. This did not provide the relief sought by the plaintiffs as the trial court ruled in favor of the HQL mandate.
But now the Court of Appeals on a 2-1 vote blocked enforcement of the controversial law. The panel found the harsh restrictions did not comply with the historical tradition requirement of last year’s Supreme Court Bruen decision.
NRA Institute for Legal Action Executive Director Randy Kozuch lauded the appeals court decision. He declared it “a significant ruling for the Second Amendment and every American who cherishes our constitutional freedoms.”
