Gun Rights Groups Slap Blue State’s Glock Ban With New Court Filing

Pro-Second Amendment groups urged a federal judge Tuesday to grant an injunction blocking Maryland’s ban on Glock pistols.

Hours after Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation in May that could ban the sale of Glock pistols, pro-Second Amendment organizations announced they would file suit to have the law thrown out as unconstitutional. In a response filed with the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), National Rifle Association (NRA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) said that there was no historical basis to ban firearms because criminals illegally modified them. (RELATED: Gun Manufacturer Slaps Blue State With Suit Over Gun Ban)

“The Glock-style handguns that are the target of Maryland’s ban are, by the State’s own admission, not dangerous or unusual arms, but common and ordinary semiautomatic handguns that can be, if illegally modified, converted into machineguns,” the document states. “But there is no history of restricting common arms that could be illegally misused or modified. And there similarly is no history of prohibiting the commercial or private sale of firearms that citizens are constitutionally entitled to possess.”

Under current federal law, it is illegal to possess or manufacture a fully-automatic firearm that is not registered or authorized under the provisions of the National Firearms Act. A conviction for violating the law can lead to up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Glock pistols are among the most popular in the United States, regularly appearing in lists of the most-sold firearms compiled by outlets like Guns and Guns and Ammo magazine. The company’s Glock 19X sold over 100,000 copies in less than six months after the pistol’s release, according to a 2018 press release by the company.

In addition to being popular among law-abiding citizens, Glock pistols are also used by numerous law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which has issued versions of the handgun to its agents since 1997. Former Vice President Kamala Harris boasted on multiple occasions about owning a Glock pistol she acquired for personal protection.