Appeals Court Skeptical of Striking Down Maryland Gun Limits

Hearing oral arguments en banc over Maryland’s firearm restrictions Wednesday, the Fourth Circuit appeared reluctant to strike down the regulations.

Two of the more vocal judges on the 15-person panel — Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III and Judge Paul V. Niemeyer — debated whether to rule in favor of Maryland or send the case back to the lower court, but neither suggested the Fourth Circuit strike it down as unconstitutional.

The arguments in Bianchi v. Brown concerned Maryland’s Firearm Safety Act of 2013, banning a list of semi-automatic weapons, including the AR-15, and high capacity magazines. The law was enacted ...