The ruling prompted the National Shooting Sports Foundation to announce they will evaluate “all legal options” moving forward. Based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008, the appeals court ruled governments are permitted to regulate firearms and may place restrictions on assault weapons.
The NSSF, a trade association for the gun industry, along with gun owners in Maryland challenged the law on constitutional grounds, arguing it infringes on their Second Amendment rights. Six other states; California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, as well as the District of Columbia, have enacted laws banning assault weapons since the shooting.