With gun law gone, permit applications increased nearly 7 times in Maryland in 2022
After the United States Supreme Court ruled a New York gun law unconstitutional last June, shifting the legal landscape across the country, concealed carry permit applications for handguns in Maryland rose by over 70,000 from the prior year.
In a 6-3 decision, the high court ruled on June 23 in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen that New York’s concealed carry law requiring individuals to show “proper cause” to be permitted to carry a handgun outside of the home violated the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
“Maryland’s ‘good and substantial’ reason for carry permits outside the home is no longer good law,” said Mark Pennak, an attorney and president of Maryland Shall Issue, a gun rights advocacy group, in an interview at the time. He predicted 100,000 individuals would apply when the Maryland law changed.
In fact, the Maryland State Police received 79,983 concealed carry permit applications from the day of the Bruen decision in June until the end of last year, bringing the year’s total of new applications to 85,266. This figure is a more than seven-fold increase compared to 12,189 applications received in all of 2021, and 11,512 in 2020.
Of the more than 85,000 applications, less than 2,000 applications were disapproved, according to data obtained from the Maryland State Police by the USA TODAY Network - Maryland.
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The state is currently ranked seventh in the nation by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence for the strength of its gun laws. Maryland is one of just 19 states, along with the District of Columbia, to have red flag laws, which allow for a court process to adjudicate removing guns and ammunition from individuals alleged to be dangerous.
The state’s red flag law, called an “extreme risk protective order,” passed after the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, during a period when 13 other states enacted similar laws.
The Legislature is considering several bills this session on the issue of gun control. Several, including one to allow the Attorney General to bring suit against those in the firearm industry who contribute harm to the public, are scheduled to have hearings in Annapolis on Feb. 7.
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Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Conceal carry permit applications rose in MD after high court ruling
