Federal appeals court grants petition for full court to consider Maryland gun law

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has granted Maryland’s petition for the full court to consider the state’s handgun licensing law that was struck down in November by a three-judge panel. The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that Maryland’s law requiring most citizens to obtain a license before acquiring a handgun was unconstitutional. Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office requested the hearing last month. The November ruling found it was unconstitutionally restrictive for Maryland to require people to obtain a license before purchasing a handgun. The process of obtaining a license can take up to 30 days.