Gun-rights organizations have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block enforcement of Maryland’s restrictions on carrying firearms in designated sensitive places, filing a certiorari petition on May 20 in Novotny v. Moore.
The Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition and allied groups argue that Maryland’s post-Bruen carry law effectively bans licensed holders from bearing arms across mass transit, state parks, healthcare facilities, museums, stadiums and numerous other public locations.
A federal district court had enjoined parts of the statute, but the Fourth Circuit largely upheld the sensitive-place bans in a January 2026 ruling. Petitioners say lower courts are split on how to apply the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision and that Maryland’s overlapping categories extinguish the right to public carry.
State officials have defended the law as consistent with historical tradition. The high court has not yet indicated whether it will grant review in the case, which could set national standards for locational firearm restrictions.
Maryland’s Gun Safety Act of 2023 also restricts carry on private property open to the public unless owners expressly permit firearms. The Fourth Circuit left that default rule in place while upholding most government-location bans challenged in Novotny v. Moore and related cases.
Supporters of Maryland’s law cite historical bans near polling places and courthouses as models, while challengers argue those precedents cannot justify prohibitions covering parks, transit and entertainment venues statewide.
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Sources:
https://dailycuratednews.substack.com/p/news-headlines-may-22-2026