Trump Admin Rakes Maryland County Over Coals For Banning Guns In Churches
A liberal stronghold near the nation’s capital received a legal warning shot from the Justice Department Thursday regarding an ordinance banning the carrying of firearms in houses of worship.
A liberal stronghold near the nation’s capital received a legal warning shot from the Justice Department Thursday regarding an ordinance banning the carrying of firearms in houses of worship.
Democratic Montgomery County, Maryland, Executive Marc Elrich signed Bill 23-26 into law Monday, updating the county’s ordinances in response to an April 28 ruling by the state Supreme Court that struck down some of the county’s previous legislative provisions regarding firearms. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon posted a letter sent to the Washington, D.C.-area county Thursday, warning that the provisions barring firearms from places of worship – even those that granted permission for people to carry firearms – run afoul of the Second Amendment.
“History teaches us that houses of worship are vulnerable to armed attacks and congregants are particularly in need of the ability to defend themselves,” Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights R. Jonas Geissler wrote in a Thursday letter emailed to top county officials. “By disarming religious congregants during worship, Montgomery County infringes on such congregants’ ability to defend against such attacks.”
The letter reminded the D.C.-area county about the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Wolford v. Lopez, which invalidated a Hawaii law containing multiple provisions restricting the carrying of firearms. Hawaii passed the law as a response to the high court’s June 2022